Project by Daniel Scanlon
Harm reduction proposes interventions that minimizes the risks associated with drug consumption. Compared to many similar developed nations, America lags behind many nations in terms of the kinds of harm reduction programs the federal government condones and funds. New York City has the nation’s only harm reduction center with a safe injection and inhalation room: OnPoint’s East Harlem Drop-In Center, which proudly proclaims: THIS SITE SAVES LIVES.
Born through a research process that investigated New York City’s harm reduction infrastructure through mapping, construction detailing, and a review of the municipal government’s design guidelines, the harm reduction center at Sara D. Roosevelt Park presents a new harm reduction model that centers dignified harm reduction care. Composed of a mass-timber structure with a reception room, drug consumption pods, an emergency response room, and six drug consumption pods with foldable, stainless steel tables, the site not only enables a constant circulation of care, but also embeds itself into the park’s programming, providing space for respite, watching sports games, and community events.
The project’s location in a transit node and heavily-trafficked nightlife neighborhood will bring together New Yorkers across all walks of life, where round-the-clock care and usage of the site for purposes outside of harm reduction challenge the carceral and racist regimes of drug addiction and drug enforcement in America.
