Location: Poughkeepsie, New York

Client: Dutchess County

Status: In Progress

Area: 3.35 acres

Team: TEN x TEN, MASS Design Group

The Youth Opportunity Union (YOU) will be a visionary new community center for all Dutchess County youth and families, located in the heart of Poughkeepsie, New York. The YOU will be a welcoming and inclusive space, where children can play, learn, and grow – from infancy to young adulthood.

The YOU landscape will spark curiosity and discovery and provide opportunities for wellness, recreation and gathering that are integrated into an immersive courtyard garden. The YOU landscape provides small and intimate spaces for group and family gathering as well as larger spaces to host a wide range of events, programs, and camps. Spaces to play will be centered around water, art, nature, and experiential learning that will draw all ages and support intergenerational engagement. The YOU landscape will be a lush and immersive ecological experience, where programs celebrating native plants, local ecology, pollinators, vegetables and food, and sustainable stewardship can co-exist with recreational uses. Native gardens focused on sensory awareness, biodiversity and the ecological context of the Hudson Valley will provide spaces for learning and beauty.

The YOU will breathe new life and energy into the adjacent Eastman Park and will embody Poughkeepsie’s spirit as a place for opportunity and dignity in the heart of the city.