Hoyt Field Through Cambridge Youth’s Eyes

Last fall, City staff worked with students at the Cambridge Community Center (CCC) on a photography project called Photo Voice, to highlight young people’s perspectives and experiences at Hoyt Field. Students spent part of the afternoon around the park taking photos—of what they saw, of their experiences, of what makes Hoyt special to them. They were then asked: if they could share only one photo of Hoyt, what would it show? Back in the classroom, they selected their favorite photos and wrote a caption describing what’s in the image and sharing why it’s important.

This activity helped students reflect on their experience at Hoyt. They were able to name what they love and what could improve. A gallery of their photos is on display at the park. As the project team continues engagement over the spring and summer, we plan to continue to use creative ways to learn about and share different experiences of the park.

Photo Voice is part of the early community engagement for an improvement project at Hoyt. Located in the Riverside neighborhood (also known as The Coast), Hoyt is an important community hub both for those who live in the immediate neighborhood, as well as those who are further away. It hosts community events and celebrations like Hoops ‘N’ Health, Battle of the Bridge, and roller-skating parties, and regular summer programming such as the City’s Summer Food Program and Screen on the Green. It is also home to the Moore Youth Center, which is part of Cambridge Youth Programs and serves pre-teens, middle schoolers, and teens; hosts recreational leagues as well as basketball, tennis, and pickleball; and has popular off leash dog hours.

Some parts of Hoyt Field need updating, especially the playgrounds and the paved areas around them. The improvement project will focus on replacing old play equipment, so it responds to today’s needs and accessibility standards. The field and courts are in good shape and will stay the same. This summer, the project team will continue additional community engagement to gather ideas for improving play in the park.

Cambridge community engagement is creative and celebratory. Most recently, Hoyt was one of the parks in the Shade is Social Justice Initiative, a climate-focused project to help Cambridge residents adapt to warming temperatures with public art. Led by architects Justin Brazier and Calvin Zhong, local residents and members of the CCC participated in engagement activities about community collaboration and storytelling. Their stories became symbolic flags that provide the shade on the structure installed near the Hoyt courts.

The involvement of Hoyt residents, nearby organizations, and Cambridge youth ensures that Hoyt Field is, and will remain a celebrated and special place. One unique partner assisting City staff on understanding the use and climate of Hoyt is MIT. An electrical engineering class is currently working on different sensor designs that will collect data on temperature and use it in order to guide the project team in how heat and heat preparedness can factor into the park design.

Community engagement will continue throughout the design process. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027 or early 2028.

We invite you to take a look at photos at the park and share about your own experiences of Hoyt at https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Parks/hoytfield