The Urban Conga, a multidisciplinary design studio that sparks community interaction and social activity through open-ended play, collaborated with Polo Grounds residents to co-design Sprout, a multisensory neurodiverse playscape located at Polo Grounds Towers (3005 Frederick Douglass Blvd) in Harlem, NY. The project organized by the Polo Grounds neighborhood stakeholder team (NSTAT) along with the Center for Innovative Justice is part of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP) that reimagines public safety and wellbeing through place-base resident-drive decision-making and government investment. Sprout provides communal connection among the Polo Grounds residents, giving them a new space to converse, learn, and grow from one another.

The Sprout design came from a series of play workshops with Polo Grounds community members of all ages who participated and shared their ideas, stories, experiences, and desires. This process facilitated a conversation beyond the physical design and expanded to neurodiversity, mental health, and safety within the community. Based on the workshops, The Urban Conga was able to implement the wants and needs of the community, turning what was an empty courtyard with decaying benches into multisensory work that uses various textures, colors, reflections, movements, sounds, and scales to provide an engaging open-ended experience. The area is now a safe space for everyone to play, dream, inspire, converse, and come together.

Sprout consists of four pieces, meant to appear as if they are sprouting up from the ground, hinting that this work is just the beginning of more to come. The various heights of Sprout allow the user to manipulate their environment, whether alone or with a fellow resident. Three pieces containing kinetic elements are situated nearby, while one is designed as a quiet space and sits farther away. As the stems emerge from the work, they reveal reflective, color-changing leaf-like pieces that can be spun, creating an interactive moment for the user to manipulate their surroundings with colorful viewports. Wrapping the platforms at the base are words of affirmation selected by the community. Words like ‘discover,’ ‘support,’ ‘connect,’ and others provide opportunities for personal reflection and open conversations between residents. The benches' pastel, cool color tones provide a relaxing visual element, while the surface patterns give the user optional seating conditions through physical touch.