Albany Hive (“the Hive”) is an uplifting new shared space on a city-owned alley at Quail St and 1st St in the city’s West Hill neighborhood. Co-designed with West Hill residents, the Hivereflects the alley’s function as a community hub, buzzing with locally-led activities. Six beehive-inspired sculptures in vibrant blue and yellow will include built-in seating elements and polycarbonate panels to host community-made artwork. They’re paired with new planters and swales that help absorb rainwater and an enhanced pathway with improved lighting, access, and drainage.

Albany Hive is located in a city-owned alley adjacent to Albany Victory Gardens and Grateful Villages’ West Hill Farmers Market. Despite the success of these nearby community-led programs, the alley itself was in poor condition, with debris, inadequate drainage, and an overgrown tree canopy that blocked light.

In response, The Van Alen Institute built a coalition of community organizations, designers, city leaders, and residents to form a collective vision for the alley. Before putting pencil to paper, project partners held dozens of conversations with community groups and 400+ residents. In these discussions, West Hill community members compared themselves to a beehive, helping and supporting each other in the neighborhood. This formed the basis of design plans featuring community artwork, words of aspiration, and places to play and reflect. Plans were shared in multiple community engagement sessions, where residents further shaped the design. Our partners also created a long-term stewardship and maintenance plan, outlining the city and community’s continued collaboration in service of the alley.

Going forward, the Hive will host public programs and workshops responding to community needs in West Hill.

Albany Hive is a collaboration between 518 SNUG, Albany & Troy Lions Club, Albany Victory Gardens, Bridge Tha Gap, the City of Albany, Grateful Villages, Rensselaer School of Architecture, Stantec, The Urban Conga, and Van Alen Institute.

The project is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” program, which supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Additional support was provided by the Albany Community Development Agency, America Walks Grant, the Bender Family Foundation and the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Initial project planning was done in partnership with the Mayors’ Institute on City Design.