Alafia Selected as Finalist for METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards

Alafia has been selected as a finalist in the 2026 METROPOLIS magazine Planet Positive Awards in the Health & Wellness category. Dattner Architects led the 25+ acre Master Plan for Alafia as part of New York State’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative, which addresses health, economic, and social disparities in underserved Central Brooklyn neighborhoods through community-driven investment. Developed in collaboration with SCAPE Landscape Architecture, for our clients at Apex Building Group, L&M Development, RiseBoro, and Services for the Underserved, the Master Plan transforms a former public site with the integration of affordable housing and health and wellness programming, including acres of open space, recreation areas, gardens, and urban farming.   

When complete, Alafia will provide more than 2,400 affordable apartments for approximately 7,500 residents, alongside community facilities, retail, healthcare, and more than four acres of publicly accessible parks and plazas. A site-wide Fitness Loop promotes active living for people of all ages and abilities, while Passive House residential buildings and resilient infrastructure—including flood mitigation, bioswales, rooftop solar, ground-source heat pumps, and wastewater heat recovery—support long-term environmental performance.  

Phase 1, completed last year, includes three Passive House residential buildings and a Maintenance Hub with affordable and supportive housing, social services, a health clinic, retail, an urban farm, outdoor dining, playgrounds, communal spaces, and green roofs. Dattner Architects is continuing the project with two additional residential phases and the forthcoming OneBrooklyn Health ambulatory care clinic. Stay tuned for the METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards ceremony on September 30, 2026 when the winners will be announced live. Learn more about the finalists here.