Co-op City, Residential development in Bronx, United States
Co-op City is a large housing complex in The Bronx borough of New York City and includes 35 high-rise towers along with seven townhouse clusters on a site of roughly 320 acres containing more than 15,000 residential units. The layout spreads over several streets and forms a nearly self-contained district with its own infrastructure and numerous shared facilities.
The site was originally marshland before the amusement park Freedomland U.S.A. opened here between 1960 and 1964. Work on the current housing development started in 1966 after the park closed.
The streets within the development carry names of well-known figures like archaeologist Cyrus Adler and author Louisa May Alcott. This naming creates a noticeable connection between everyday life here and historical figures from culture and scholarship.
The housing area has eight parking garages along with three shopping centers and provides access within the grounds to educational facilities and various houses of worship. Visitors can find their way around easily since the high-rises and streets are arranged in groups and signage is present at central points.
Residents govern the development through a cooperative structure and elect a 15-member board that sets community rules and organizes operations. This form of self-administration makes the housing area one of the largest cooperatively run developments in the country.
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