The Bronx

Unity in Our Community
Clay Avenue, Claremont Consolidated, Morrisania

Unveiled May 2026, this 1,500-sq-ft mural transformed the exterior of the Clay Ave Resident Association's space at Claremont Consolidated, a NYCHA development. Designed and painted by residents themselves — 100+ participants ages 2 to their 80s — with Artolution, the Public Housing Community Fund, and the NY Climate Exchange. The imagery moves between the neighborhood's past, residents' dreams for its future, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

THE RIGHT AT STAKE
The right to a livable, sustainable future for public housing residents who face the worst of climate risk, but rarely get a say in fixing it.

Communities like Morrisania face this risk disproportionately: significant shares of NYCHA households here lack adequate cooling during extreme heat, and many developments were built decades ago on low-lying, flood-prone land near the former industrial waterfront.

WHY HERE?
This mural isn't just located at Claremont Consolidated, but rather it's the result of a specific program built for public housing. It's the first mural unveiled through the 2026 NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants program, which awards funding directly to residents for climate and sustainability projects. It's spearheaded by the Public Housing Community Fund, in partnership with The New York Climate Exchange, which provides technical assistance and support, funded in part by Con Edison and, more recently, HSBC.

This matters for the "right at stake" because this wasn't art commissioned for the community from the outside. Instead, it was designed and painted by more than 100 residents, artists, youth, and community members, from toddlers to seniors, on the wall of their own buildings. Sources: Bronx Times · The NYCHA Journal · CityNeighborhoods.NYC

ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How can the communities most exposed to climate risk also become the ones leading the response to it?

THEN & NOW
Morrisania's history gives this real weight. Beginning in the 1950s, white flight, urban renewal, and discriminatory lending reshaped the neighborhood. The construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway displaced thousands of residents and fragmented local economies. By the 1970s, disinvestment and arson had devastated blocks along Third Avenue, Boston Road, and Claremont Parkway. Consequently, this area became a national symbol of urban decline. Today's mural, painted by the same community once defined by that image, reframes the neighborhood around resilience and self-determination instead. Sources: CityNeighborhoods.NYC — Morrisania

TAKE ACTION
The Public Housing Community Fund, The New York Climate Exchange, NYCHA, and Artolution partnered directly with residents on this project. Students and young people interested in getting involved can research NYCHA's Resident Climate Action Grants program, or connect with a local NYCHA resident association about ongoing sustainability initiatives in their own communities and buildings.

Curated by: Artolution · Public Housing Community Fund · NYC Climate Exchange · NYCHA