Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Jake Boswell and lecturer in the Landscape Architecture Section Jack Gruber have published (with Melinda Hunt) “We need a plan for Hart Island: NYC’s public cemetery must include the public,” an opinion piece in the Daily News. The op-ed explores the future of city burials on New York’s Hart Island and a “recently completed burial capacity study.” 

While we agree with the report’s conclusions on cremation, we believe current burial practices should be reconsidered. Hart Island is a beautiful location. Visitors comment on how majestic Long Island Sound feels when they are there. Moreover, Hart Island burials — while inhumane in their scale — are also the only natural burials available in New York City. We believe these are strengths the city can build upon for offering more humane burials and as a strategy for climate adaptation and landscape management.

Read more at Daily News