Alafia is conceived as a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood contained within a 15-minute walking radius, promoting a healthy lifestyle. Although primarily residential, the neighborhood offers a robust mixed-use program that will support local community needs. Healthcare, community resources, recreation, healthy food, shopping, work, education, and cultural events are all available within this zone.

The goal is to meet the daily needs of residents, reduce their dependence on cars, and encourage the social and health benefits of walking outdoors. Pedestrian and public transportation to the neighborhood and the larger city are promoted and remain essential.

At Alafia, buildings, open spaces, training, and employment programs are all part of a coordinated plan to provide a healthy and environmentally sustainable community. The development builds upon best practices in resiliency and sustainability to create a model project for responsible density in New York’s coastal communities. Sustainable elements include site-wide reduced energy consumption through Passive House Design for all residential buildings, which will not only reduce energy use, but improve indoor air quality, and provide a better, healthier environment for residents, and deliver buildings that stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Geothermal and stormwater management components are integrated throughout the campus.

The site has its own micro-grid, and additional on-site green energy generation is provided by rooftop solar panel arrays and a fuel cell coupled with a biodigester, powered by waste from on-site urban farms. By utilizing these methods, the project will support energy related job training, reduce operating costs, and provide vital emergency power options to the coastal community.

The design of the Maintenance Hub is intended to provide an operationally flexible facility that complies with current and future waste regulations. The centralized trash & recycling collection facility will allow waste, biowaste, and recyclable waste streams from throughout the development to be contained in one central location. The centralized strategy limits the mess, smells, and pests lingering around trash bags piled on sidewalks awaiting collection, along with limiting the noise of garbage trucks and maintenance vehicles within the neighborhood.

The building will house a composting facility to process organic materials with an in-vessel composter. Feedstock will be generated by the adjacent urban farm, Alafia grounds-keeping, a public school, supermarket, and other neighborhood partners. As the operation matures, the facility will be able to accept residential food waste encouraged by the NYC compost project. Processing biowaste creates a closed loop by generating compost as a product that is usable and necessary on site from the discarded organics.