Beneath the Grass; An investigation on Whether Liberty State Park’s 19th-Century Industrial Past led to Environmental Injustice in Jersey City, New Jersey
by Nataly Mendez
Site Description:
Introduction
Picture yourself stepping out on a cool September morning on the East Coast. Standing in Liberty State Park, with your hands on the chilly handrails and your camera slung across our shoulder you can lean against that veranda to see the water below you, reflecting the light, dancing. Breathing in the salty air, the harbor is an infinite panorama before you, and behind it the rumble and hum of the city blurs behind the clouds. In your periphery, children gather on the green, the wind rifts through pages of vows and the tall grass. You turn your body to see the wedding unfolding before you. You are reminded of how special your job is as you lift your camera, you capture the perfect shot: a smiling bride and groom with the Manhattan skyline cheerfuly twinkling in the background. Such is one of the many stories Rosemary G. tells through her photography portfolio[1]. Liberty State Park is special to locals. “This is sacred and hallowed ground” stated Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea this November, standing on the same ground as Rosemary five years later [2]. This beauty, however, exists within the context of a long and complicated history shaped by industry and pollution.
You may find it surprising to learn that Liberty State Park has gone through many names and changes. and phases. Originally natural marshlands, the park was slowly transformed into a bustling industrial shipping zone; later, it became the site of a wartime attack, and then an abandoned, decommissioned railyard before becoming a park. Throughout the decades, it was artificially filled with everything from waste to debris. Soil surveys and a report from the Army Corps show that the infill beneath the park contains pockets of dangerous heavy metals which government and local partner agencies have been working to clean up for decades.
Liberty State Park has been and continues to be a highly advantageous location. Currently, it is caught in the crossfire of two competing visions for its future. On one side the ecologically conscious public wishes to continue to use the site as a public ecological refuge. On the other side, a coalition of developers, drawn by the park’s views, waterfront location and supportive local government, see it as land with incredible commercial potential.
Building on this history, my paper will argue that the residents’ vision must prevail, because development would interfere with restoration, complicate wetland recovery, and silence the community that has advocated for the park for decades, reinforcing the larger environmental injustice issue in postwar America. To do so, I will address the following questions: What makes Liberty State Park the center of conflict today? Why are developers so keen on developing the park? And why and how are residents resisting this development?
Following a brief historical introduction, this paper begins with an examination of what makes the park so valuable to all the actors involved, before turning to the contrasting visions for the park’s future. It then explains the point of view of the developers and the agencies that support them. Alongside this I will also offer the point of view of the residents and environmental activists, highlighting the differences in interests of both sides. Together these sections will unpack the conflict that exists. By the end of this paper, it will be evident that restoration is the only true end goal for Liberty State Park, so that breezy wedding days can continue to inspire artists, photographers, and residents for years to come.
Background
It is evident that to the locals, this land is priceless, but even visiting the park itself may not be enough to feel the value of its existence. As described in the video essay in further detail, Liberty State Park is on land that used to be salt marshes and mud lands. It was a source of food and Natural resources to the Native Lenape population and later, English settlers. [3] With the age of industry, its advantageous location and proximity to the city transformed the site into a source of profit. As we now know, these massive scale shipping and transportation zones create tons of pollution, and even worse, the marshlands were too shallow for ships to properly dock. To remedy this issue, the site was filled over time haphazardly. The Land on Liberty State Park today was filled with everything from waste to debris, even the land excavated to make room for the New York Subway was brought to NJ and dumped in the precious salt marshes.3 Today, there are pockets of dangerous heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and hydrocarbons due to this.[4] The operation of this huge network depended on the largely undervalued labor of the old works immigrant communities of the time.[5] The land once known as Comunipaw Cove became a working industrial landscape. The Central Railroad of New Jersey, one of the major players in the passenger and freight transportation business, had a terminal right at Liberty State Park and working-class families built their lives around this area for decades. With different transportation methods, first the car and later trucking, railroads fell into decline. The industry began to collapse. The Central Railroad of New Jersey went bankrupt in 1967.[6] But by the 70’s, activists like Morris Pesin and Audrey Zapp had worked tirelessly to transform the forgotten polluted site into something the public could take back and use.[7] By the time Liberty State Park opened in 1976, cleanup and containment of the contamination had been in the works for years. Today, residents and a coalition of local civic and environmentalist groups like the New Jersey Sierra Club, Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP) and the New Jersey Conservation foundation have a different vision for the park, ecological restoration and continued public accessibility.[8]
Seeing that the park is contaminated, it begs the question as to why the area is so contested today. To an outsider developer with no connection to the land or it’s history, what makes Liberty State Park so appealing that investors circle it like vultures, all “interested in getting a piece of the Parks’ land”?2 Liberty State Park Attracts competing visions because both sides find value in the park differently. For the residents, there is an ecological and public green space Value. Jersey City is highly urban; it is among the largest cities in New Jersey. The unfortunate reality of high-density city living is the lack of open green space. As stressed by the letter to Governor Philip Murphy, “The park itself is an oasis in one of the most densely populated areas in the entire country. It should be preserved for the people in the crowded, concrete areas who are in need of open space”8 There is also a symbolic and social value to the residents, as mentioned before there are historic ties to the working class and immigrant residents. Today, the immigration museum that exists directly on site stands as testament to that legacy. There is also a local vulnerability in the area in terms of health. A 2022 Community Health Needs assessment for Hudson County, Jersey City finds that environmental factors can disproportionately affect “low-income communities and communities of color.” [9] In addition to this, when it comes to air pollution matter, the average daily density of the state of new jersey is 8.1 while Hudson County experiences a 9.3 in density. 9 Taking these two figures into account, it can be argued that the lack of green spaces will affect the marginalized people of the Comunipaw area disproportionately compared to their wealthier neighbors living further from the downtown. This makes it imperative that the land remains in public hands and it is why the public cherishes it so.
So why are the developers still lurking? The most direct answer is location. First and foremost, the scenery and proximity to the water make any type of development extremely profitable. People are willing to pay and arm and a leg for the convenience of New Jersey with the Proximity of Manhattan. Over the years many Developers and even groups of developers have tried their hand at privatizing the park one way or another. One of the many developers in for the cash grab is Suntex Marina Investors LLC, recently their proposal for a three acre, seven story marina development made waves in Jersey City.2 For constructing what basically would be a luxury Yacht warehouse, they also benefit from the developer friendly and otherwise very laissez-faire attitude of the local government. To put things into perspective, industrial land in Jersey City sells for $12.8 million per acre, this development should cost over $38 million in land alone, but instead they’re trying to buy the “approval of the public” for a measly $30 million.[10]
In the past, residents have fought tooth and nail to prevent the construction and development of their public land into wildly inappropriate ideas. Among ideas like Formula 1 racetracks and gaudy hotels and other types of luxury living10, the threats don’t stop coming at Liberty State Park because of this favorable local government and political trend of incentives towards giving away the land for cheap to developers and disguising that move as doing something for the public for some reason. In 2023 Governor Phil Murphy stated, “Our Administration’s plan prioritizes protecting our precious public lands and revitalizing Liberty State Park through exciting new amenities for the community.”[11] Here he plainly expresses the local government’s willingness to entertain the idea of putting things in the park despite the community’s repeated pushbacks.
Two Competing Visions for the Park
Seeing that the residents and activists have a very diluted level of support from the state and local government, it is no mystery why time has led to two very different visions for Liberty State Park’s future. The residents seek to transform the land into an ecological refuge for public good. We know from the letters to the governor and their relentless efforts to keep it in public hands that the park is important to the people of Jersey City and the Comunipaw Cove, but more so than it just being a park residents seek to continue cleanup and restoration of the land so that it can once again be a part of the larger New Jersey marshland ecosystem. The Soil Testing Report demonstrates that there is contamination present and because of this there are remediation needs. “Coal combustion residues are widespread in soils at the site, both as a consequence of historic railroad operations and as a constituent of historic fill materials. Arsenic and heavy metals (principally lead, zinc, and copper) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are nearly ubiquitous in the fill.”[12]
Along with there just being a need to clean up the land so people can use the park, there are additional benefits to restoring the marshlands. Liberty State Park is in a flood zone. This accompanied by sea level rise makes Comunipaw especially vulnerable to flooding. Cleaning and restoring the wetlands and mudflats will make the shores more resistant to storm surges and in the case of a major flood, clean shores mean less contaminants getting further inland where people live and work. Ultimately, seeing the wetlands restored would indirectly also protect the entire region. From the letter written to Governor Philip Murphy in 2023, the activists and community also see the restoration of the wetlands to be an educational resource, “Ecological restoration of the interior will improve habitat for diverse bird and animal species to enjoy. Additionally, people of all ages including urban youth obtaining STEM education opportunities will be able to enjoy nature through passive recreation such as hiking and bird watching in a very urban area of the state where access to natural areas is too limited.”8 Development goes immediately against all these ideas that feed into the vision the residents have for the future of the park. Large-scale construction of any kind that interrupts restoration efforts will further degrade the ecosystem, this is explained by the restoration feasibility report, “With no ecosystem restoration or enhancement at this site, its habitats will continue to degrade. Some of the site’s existing habitats would further degrade as a result of continued expansion of the invasive plants.”4 Remediation is already difficult for this site, and the introduction of new contaminants from building the transportation to bring the materials on the site and then the subsequent long-term effects of pollution caused by using said development will exhascerbate the damage.
There are also justice-based concerns. In terms of health, the park is seen by the residents as a public health necessity. As previously mentioned, the deeply urban areas need this space the most, and if these communities lose their public land and green space, the poorest and most marginalized within their communities will pay the consequences the most. In terms of justice there are also generations of Local advocacy for this park. Public demonstrations and testimony date back as far as the creation of the park, and the fight that led to the park being founded. Activists like Audrey Zapp spent decades fighting for the rights of the public and Nature. Activist Moris Pesin, commissioner of the park alongside Zapp, spent most of his life also advocating against privatization. Today Sam Pesin, the son of Morris Pesin is the president of the Friends of Liberty State Park group.7 While these are just two notable people who have advocated for the land, these are plenty more who have been tirelessly advocating for their community for just as long. Silencing these voices would not only be anti-democratic, it would be a form of injustice. As a public land, the role of the state is not to act like a private owner but to behave like a caretaker that enacts the will of the public.
In comparison, the vision of the developers is much different. They see potential for Commercial Transformation, and they are seeing pretty much only that. Master plans and Proposals are thrown at Liberty State Park often. Through the work of the community, the more ridiculous options have been tossed but currently, an invasive proposal to redesign the entire park is being pushed forward.
Image 1: Liberty State Park Proposed Master Plan July 12, 2022
Image 2: Liberty State Park Proposed Master Plan August 2025
These two images are both Master plan proposals for Liberty State Park. Both claim to be improvements to the existing park for the public. Despite the importance and pushback from the community to ecologically restore the wetlands in the area, the evolution of the master plans shows how the focus remains in creating new developments that impede ecological restoration. It is also worth noting that this is ironically, work of the NJDEP, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the independent design and planning firms they employed to create it. [13]
The first proposal from 2022 depicts a highly developed Liberty State Park, in the image it is suggested that a picturesque entertainment complex is the ideal vision for the site. The master plan proposes a recreation center, two massive sports arenas witch equally massive parking lots, and mixed-use developments which in developer speak oftentimes means some type of housing witch minimal shopping on the ground floor. The heavy hand witch which this was drawn, completely undermining the Natural layout of the park makes the argument that for the NJDEP, the main interest is profit and maximizing the land which can be taken from the public and transformed. The language itself also suggests that they are aware that the plan is highly invasive, to soften the blow the descriptions suggest that the additions will be subtle, as is the case with “small Boat/transit marina” In the drawing however, we see that the interventions are huge. Lastly, the colors and overall design add to the developer’s illusion of the transformation being “green.” The parking lots are depicted as green and the sports complexes as well, making them blend into the background. In reality, these additions will not be environmentally friendly at all and will stick out on the site.
The second master plan recently proposed this August feigns improvement on the 2022 plan. In the second proposal, the more offensive large-scale sports arenas and parking lots are removed. It is evident that community feedback had an impact on visions of the park’s future. Regardless, the NJDEP’s vision for the future of the park still suggests that they will continue to favor developmental potential on the park regardless of public opinion. A large-scale Marina remains on the plan proposal, and similar techniques to make change appear subtle remain. The “athletic hub” area in the proposal in rendered completely in green despite being sports fields which realistically will need to be filled artificially. Here I must reiterate my point that any construction of this scale will heavily jeopardize ongoing restoration efforts.
These large-scale proposals and visions from the NJDEP are confusing, one would assume that they would act on the best interest of the ecological restoration, instead it seems these vision boards and “long term revitalization plans” are just their way of “soft launching” ideas which eventually land in the hands of private developers. Such is the case with these plans here and perhaps the marina by is Suntex Marina Investors LLC. With these Master plans and vision boards published, it may be the case that the investors have a much easier time convincing the public, seeing that something similar was proposed and approved of in a hypothetical sense before. This point is difficult to prove, but the trend suggests that regardless, the voices of the people and activists are being ignored when these proposals are being drafted.
Who Benefits from Development
It begs the question: who benefits from development? Clearly the private developers whose hands the construction projects fall into but also there is a point to be made about local officials aligned with policies of economic growth in New Jersey. Those serving public office with this interest in mind might have a hand in the rebranding of this park. With their language alone, using words like “revitalization” and “activated spaces” 13 the park is re-contextualized and presented as empty or underutilized when everything the park needs is already there, waiting to be restored.
Taking the conflicting visions for Liberty State Park’s future into account, the vision of the residents must prevail. The existence of the varied environmental and civic groups who continuously advocate for the land presents a long timeline of community resistance. As recently as November protesters have shown up and organized against the building of the Marina, at the recent protest Sam Pesin also introduced Ward E Councilman James Solomon, who is running for mayor. The council member stated “Do not sign the lease! … The proposal is simply out of character if what Liberty State Park is … It is massive, it is privatized, and it is for the wealthy. It is not for the people” 2
Standing in Liberty State Park that November, the calm and serene atmosphere is contrasted by the impending changes that threaten its very existence. As this paper has outlined, Liberty State Park is the result of decades of environmental and civic work put in by community members and activists pushing for ecological restoration. The History of the park, from the Natural Marshlands to the transportation hub of the age of industry and now, a contested public site explains why Liberty State Park is heavily contested today. Developers and State agencies see it as an opportunity for economic growth while the community continues to fight for it to be used as their public health resource. Their vision must prevail because for, it is a rare gift of green space in need of ecological restoration and a symbol of their immigrant history. The generational fight to keep this park public is not one the residents can afford to lose, as their park is their urban oasis whose restoration will bring environmental, educational, recreational and health benefits.
The Story of Liberty State Park reflects an unfortunately much broader trend in postwar environmental injustice across the United States in which cherished sites are repeatedly threatened by redevelopment despite strong public opposition. The truth is that when parties with ill-intent see neighborhoods that they deem lack the political power to stand up for themselves, they can get away with much more especially when state actors prioritize economic growth over public good. Liberty State Park also illustrates that there is power in organization and community resistance, so far, their efforts have been successful in thwarting inappropriate development ideas and ecological restoration becomes a closer reality as cleanup and containment continues. “Even after being dug out, filled in, run over, and dumped on, the wetlands still showed signs of life. The Hackensack River still flowed south. The tide still rose north from the Atlantic Ocean. The river and tide still met in the Meadowlands twice a day, as they had for 10,000 years. Because they did, the ecosystem had a chance to recover.” [14] -Yezerski Thomas in his book Meadowlands: A Wetland Survival Story.
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[1] Rosemary Green, “Liberty State Park Wedding: Railroad Terminal: New Jersey,” rosemarygreenphotography.com, February 19, 2020, https://rosemarygreenphotography.com/liberty-state-park-railroad-terminal-wedding/.
[2] Daniel Ulloa, “Friends of Liberty State Park, Activists, & Electeds Protest Proposed Marina,” Hudson County View, November 16, 2025, https://hudsoncountyview.com/friends-of-liberty-state-park-activists-electeds-protest-proposed-marina/.
[3] New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Division of Parks and Forestry., “Changes in the Land Liberty State Park,” HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE , November 7, 2011, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=49794.
[4] U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Restoration Feasibility Report, 2005.
[5] SteinsworthTM LLC, “The History of the Communipaw and Bergen-Lafayette Neighborhoods of Jersey City,” Steinsworth, July 29, 2024, https://steinsworth.com/the-history-of-the-communipaw-and-bergen-lafayette-neighborhoods-of-jersey-city/.
[6] Ronald Sullivan, “Jersey Central Near Bankruptcy, Lines Head Says It Could Happen in Weeks,” New York Times, March 17, 1967.
[7] Charles Hack, “Audrey Zapp, Environmentalist Who Campaigned for Establishing Liberty State Park in Jersey City and Then Helped Protect It from Commercialization and Privatization, Dies in Colorado at Age 86,” The Jersey Journal, January 31, 2012.
[8] Anjuli Ramos-Busot et al., letter to Honorable Philip Murphy, Governor, State of New Jersey, March 28, 2023.
[9] Michael Prilutsky, Schubert Perotte, Douglas Zehner et al., “Jersey City Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment,” rwjbh.org, accessed December 18, 2025, https://www.rwjbh.org/documents/community-health-needs-assessment/JCMC-CHNA-2022.pdf.
[10] Jeff Tittel, “Stop the Liberty State Park Dirty Deal – Vote No,” Insider NJ, December 15, 2025, https://www.insidernj.com/stop-the-liberty-state-park-dirty-deal-vote-no/.
[11] “The Official Website of Governor Phil Murphy,” Office of the Governor | ICYMI: Murphy Administration Advances Liberty State Park Revitalization Program at Open House, accessed December 18, 2025, https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562023/approved/20230524b.shtml?utm_.
[12] U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Liberty State Park, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey: Sub-Surface Soil Characterization, August 2003–February 2004.
[13] “Introducing the Liberty State Park Master Plan,” Dep.nj.gov, accessed December 14, 2025, https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/urban-state-parks-initiatives/liberty-state-park-revitalization-program/master-plan/.
[14] Thomas F. Yezerski, Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story, 2nd ed. (2024).
Primary Sources:
Source 1: Master Plan Summary/ Presentation (2025)
From the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Link: https://dep.nj.gov/revitalizelsp/master-plan/#flipbook-2051/1/\
I plan to use this to show the current results of accumulated state policy. For my argument I plan to use this document to question whether planning decisions for the park address concerns related to environmental justice.
Source 2: Restoration Feasibility Report (2005)
From the USACE, (US Army Corps of Engineers)
This is a 190+ page report is like a study done on how to go about restoring the contaminated wetlands in Liberty State Park. I will use this source to get information on the names of the contaminants and the specific areas. I can also use this source as a secondary source as they have done research on the contamination history and compiled it in the report.
Source 3: Sub-Surface Soil Characterization August 2003 – February 2004
From the USACE, (US Army Corps of Engineers)
This is another long report, more like a study done on the sub-soil contamination in the park. This information, similar to the restoration feasibility report, will be evidence of the contaminants being known about and exist. I will also try to use this document to argue that the different areas of the part vary in contaminants and therefore vary in how far they impact the surrounding environment.
Source 4: Community Health Needs Assessment of 2022
Jersey City Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment
This document addresses how environmental factors affect health, on pg. 95 the document explains how asthma disproportionately affects “low-income communities and communities of color.” Aside from asthma the document also covers air quality, lead, and other conditions which can be useful to my project. This explanation will be used to support how the environmental issues disproportionately affect some people.
Source 5: Letter to Gov Murphy from 2023
The letter itself: LSP | Joint Letter to Gov. Murphy
This letter was the result of several organizations joining together urging the governor to keep the park accessible to the communities in the area. The environmental justice issue at the very present can also be twofold, aside from the contamination, I can argue that privatizing the park fails to serve the urban populations that lack access to the green spaces. Framing the park itself as an environmental justice issue may be tricky so I can also use the letter to argue that performing justice would be committing to the ecological restoration of the wetlands (which can protect the communities already vulnerable to flooding.
Part 2:
In the 2023 letter to Governor Murphy from several organizations both civil and environmental organizations. We find groups that are urging the state to interfere in protecting the site of Liberty State Park. Mainly due to concerns about commercialization and privatization. For time leading up to this proposed master plan shows a highly occupied park with luxury recreational spaces and programs. The building of any of these proposals will thwart the ecological restoration of the area needed. If not stopping the environmental recovery, the construction will be sure to exacerbate the existing issues which historically have disproportionately affected the people from the Communipaw Avenue Corridor. Considering that environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action are involved suggests that the tensions between the interests of the residents and the interest of the wealthier developers have continued for decades. The source suggests that in present day Environmental advocacy in the area has a connection to issues of inequality, equity, and socio-economic class. Further supporting my thesis that issues of contamination in the area have disproportionately affected the marginalized communities in the area.
The letter presents that in the present day; Liberty State Park now plays a significant role for the urban community. As an environmental concern in terms of the wetlands on one hand and on the other as an issue of equality in terms of public green space. The members writing in the letter speak of accessibility and the importance of maintaining this for “the residents of Jersey City, Hudson County, Environmental Justice communities” (Paragraph 2). This shows that the members have recognized that the nearby people, many of which are historically disadvantaged, deserve having a green space. The members describe the park as an “oasis in one of the most populated areas in the entire country.” (paragraph 5) By insisting that the area is densely populated speaks to the issues plaguing the nearby communities. Finally, the members state that the park “belongs to all of us and stays open as a quality of life and public health resource” Here the author links the environmental benefits of continuing the environmental restoration to the fight against inequality in this aspect it’s more like the inequity in privatization.
Secondary Sources:
Sentence: This is a book on the History of the city in which my site is in.
Paragraph: I am hoping to use this book for general context. Although I am a little apprehensive about the commerce aspect of the source, I am looking to use this source for early history since I want something specific when it comes to the site. The time period of my project is closer to the conclusion of what happened to the part but for what leads up to it and that context, I think this source can be considered useful.
Source 2: Bianculli, Anthony J. 2008. Iron Rails in the Garden State : Tales of New Jersey Railroading. Bloomington, Ind: Indiana University Press.
Sentence: This is a book with railroading stories.
Paragraph: I am hoping to use the commentary in this book on the stories of the people in New Jersey to offer me more of an idea on what the impact of the railroads had on people’s lives. I am mostly interested in the Author’s point of view here and how the author frames their arguments and their opinions. While the information is more anecdotal I feel like having a good take on how people felt will help me situate myself in the events in the history of the site.
Source 3: Treese, L. (2006). Railroads of New Jersey : fragments of the past in the Garden State landscape (1st ed.). Stackpole Books.
Sentence: This book is about the history of regional rail lines in New Jersey
Paragraph: This source will offer me the rail history context for the site. Since the site has an industrial past, I am hoping this source will allow me the context on railroads. I’m especially interested in where historical railroad lines led to, what they took to maintain and how they worked. I am also interested in railroad terminals which I believe that the book also will offer insightful information on. I hope to connect what I learned here to the current things on the site, one of which is the rail terminal turned museum.
Source 4: Yezerski, Thomas. 2011. Meadowlands : A Wetlands Survival Story. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
Sentence: This is a book about the New Jersey wetlands region.
Paragraph: I believe that this source will be helpful because it will offer me the environmental context in the area I am researching. To my understanding, Liberty State park was largely built on wetlands and I honestly don’t know much about wetlands in New Jersey. Having a better understanding of the geographic conditions will help me better gauge the impact of the destruction. Basically, I want to understand what we “lost” to the pollution to inform the report.
Source 5: Zavian, G. (2014). Liberty State Park (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing.
Sentence: This source basically follows the premise of my paper, the author is a Jersey city resident and photographer who follows the site’s industrial history and the story of the site becoming a park.
Paragraph: This source will be especially useful to me in offering an internal perspective from someone that has grown up in the area. In images, I believe it is possible for the photographer’s biases and emotions to present themselves in their work. The book also makes a historical review of the site, and while this may be a useful starting point to understanding, the photography focus will likely be of more use to me. Historical images will help me have a better grasp on the change of use of the site over time. I can form arguments better when having images that really allow me to take in and analyze what the physical site looks like now compared to what it looked like before.
Image Analysis:
Image 1: Liberty State Park Proposed Master Plan July 12 2022
Image 2: Liberty State Park Proposed Master Plan August 2025
These two images are both Master plan proposals for Liberty State Park. Both claim to be improvements to the existing park for the public. Despite the importance and pushback from the community to ecologically restore the wetlands in the area, the evolution of the master plans shows how the focus remains in creating new developments that impede ecological restoration. From the images we are shown how the state continues to ignore public opinion in favor of the developers of the recreation projects. These projects benefit outside interests more than the interests of the local residents. From image one we see how the proposed master plan in this stage has stadiums, sports arenas and parking lots that take up most of the past. The natural reserve or restoration green areas are in the leftover or in-between spaces. The landscape design suggests that the local government of Jersey City prioritizes the building and entertainment projects, most of which are not venues that suggest public use.
From the 2025 plan, the changes suggest that the voices of the environmental and civic activist groups have become stronger, as there are more green areas and the walking paths are not all fully impermeable paved paths. However, the trend of the local government favoring fulfilling outside interests instead of those of the locals persists. We see this in the 2025 plan with the sport lawns and artificial lawns that interrupt natural areas. Liberty State Part is originally a wetland area. Any of these laws for sports will then need to be artificially created. The partial shift demonstrates how the government continues to push designs that prioritize development instead of the long-term environmental intervention needed at the site.
In terms of environmental justice, Liberty State Park is situated on historically polluted land, modified artificially to house industrial programs. The immediate surrounding streets and neighborhoods were historically working class and immigrant communities. Despite having moved further in from the park, the most affected by the mishandling of the ecological restoration will continue to be the most marginalized people in the area. This is because without revitalizing the wetlands, flood risk increases. The state continues to push proposed plans that add new buildings, fields and pathways that interrupt the natural flow of the park. This shows how the local government continues to reject goals related to environmental justice.
This reflects a wider problem occurring in many cities in the U.S. post WW2. Governments continue to promise their citizens improvements but these urban renewal schemes often create projects, buildings, and spaces that are not welcoming to the more marginalized locals. This further reinforces issues like gentrification. In terms of environmental justice, the groups that fight for cleanup and restoration have also faced the need to fight for continued access and public control of the land that needs the restoration and cleanup. Even when environmental justice efforts are taken into account, compromise like demonstrated in the 2025 plan can be just as exclusionary and negative to the environment. Adding green to the plan continues to artificially modify the land that desperately needs real ecological restoration.
Data Analysis:
Oral Interviews:
Video Story:
Here is my video story about environmental inequality in Liberty State Park