Bushwick, Brooklyn

OPEN SPACE INDEX BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN OPEN SPACE INDEX ❁ 1 BUSHWICK 4 Heckscher Playground n COMMUNITY GARDENS 5 Hope Ballfield 18 Aberdeen Street Community Garden Bushwick Study Area 6 Irving Square Park 19 Concerned Citizens of Grove Street n Newtown Creek 7 Maria Hernandez Park Community Garden n Cemeteries 8 Thomas Boyland Park 20 Contented Heart Garden MTA L Subway 21 Cooper Street Block Buster Block Association MTA M Subway n POCKET PARKS 22 Cooper Street Community Garden MTA J, Z Subways (Less than 1 acre) 23 Decatur Street Community Garden MTA A, C Subways 9 Arboleda de Niños/Children’s Grove 10 Beaver Noll Park 24 El Garden 25 Eldert Street Garden n NEW YORK CITY HOUSING 11 Evergreen Playground AUTHORITY DEVELOPMENTS 12 Freedom Triangle 26 Good Life Garden (Goodwin Gardens) 13 Garden Playground 27 Granite Street Block Association n NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS 14 Heisser Triangle 28 Infant Jesus Community Garden (1 to 20 acres in size) 15 Know Waste Lands 29 La Finca Community Garden 1 Bushwick Playground 16 Rudd Playground 30 Madison Square Garden Association 2 Fermi Playground 17 Tiger Playground 31 Madison Street Community Garden 3 Green Central Knoll 32 Moffat Garden

ST 33 People’s Garden

EW 34 Woodbine Street Block Association Garden A TO R N T VE SO A ST A GA R ST VE OW NG D R FO

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2 ✿ NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in north Brooklyn on the Queens border. From its roots as a European residential neighborhood, to an industrial working-class Latinx and Black community, and now a booming real estate market for developers, this neighborhood is home to many community gardens. Its small open spaces are in need of investment to handle an increase in users as the neighborhood density grows.

Forty years ago, Bushwick was caught character, reduce the out-of-scale devel- BUSHWICK in the worst of New York City’s fiscal opment, bring back industrial DEMOGRAPHICS crisis. Owners burned buildings for jobs, and create affordable housing. This SEX insurance payouts, which displaced process culminated in the 2018 Bushwick community members and left empty lots Community Plan, a comprehensive set 51% 49% behind. The neighborhood has slowly of recommendations including housing, Female Male recovered due to community resilience transportation, and open space, which and considerable public investment. was sent to the Department of City Starting in 2000, many empty lots were Planning (DCP) for consideration. bought by developers, and new build- ings were developed in the west, closer In April 2019, the City released its AGE to Manhattan and transit connections. official rezoning plan for Bushwick: some These developments quickly grew out of parts align with the recommendations of 21% 9% scale with the neighborhood character. the Bushwick Community Plan, but many 18 and 65 and local priorities were not included. The under older In 2014, community representatives rezoning’s public process provides criti- 70% started collaborating with local Council cal opportunities for Bushwick residents 19-64 Members Espinal and Reynoso to design to advocate for the priorities articulated a local plan to preserve the community’s in the Plan, including for open space.

RACE AND ETHNICITY 16% 57% 6% White Latinx Asian 19% 2% Black Other

Rosemary’s Playground

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN OPEN SPACE INDEX ❁ 3 Open Space Goals and Local Results For each Open Space Goal in the Index, NY4P staff gathered data from publicly available sources to answer the question, “Does Bushwick meet this goal?” Information on population comes from the US Census’ American Community Survey, and most open space amenity and acreage information comes from the New York City open data platform. Visit www.ny4p.org/data-and-research for methodology.

AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE Total Open Space Active Open Space Playgrounds Athletic Fields

Heckscher Playground Heckscher Playground Bushwick Playground Bushwick Playground

All acres of open space in the All acres of playgrounds, fields, Places for play with things like Fields for sports like soccer, neighborhood that provide courts, rec centers, and other swings, climbing frames, water football, cricket, baseball, rugby, space for play, relaxation, and active open spaces features, sand boxes, or other and field hockey, as well as contact with nature play areas outdoor ice rinks

CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT 2.5 0.2 1 0.1 1 2.3 1. 5 1 acres per acres per acre per acres per per 1,250 kids per 1,250 kids per 10,000 per 10,000 1,000 people 1,000 people 1,000 people 1,000 people people people

Courts Recreation Centers Passive Open Space Community Gardens

Fermi Playground ARROW Fieldhouse Maria Hernandez Park Good Life Garden

Courts for playing sports like Indoor recreation centers All acres of lawns, esplanades, All GreenThumb gardens and basketball, handball, volleyball, operated by NYC Parks, and plazas, beaches, natural areas, other community gardens with tennis, and bocce other indoor facilities with planted areas, and community public access similar fees and public access gardens

CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT 5 2.7 1 0 1. 5 0.2 1 1. 6 per 10,000 per 10,000 per 10,000 per 10,000 per 10,000 per 10,000 per 20,000 per 20,000 people people people people residents residents residents residents

4 ✿ NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS NY4P studied the area of Brooklyn within the Community Board 4 boundaries, which includes Bushwick. Meets goal Approaches goal Does not meet goal

ENVIRONMENTAL ACCESS TO OPEN SPACES SUSTAINABILITY Pocket Parks Neighborhood Parks Large Parks Urban Tree Canopy

Tiger Playground Green Central Knoll Maria Hernandez Park Maria Hernandez Park

Parks smaller than 1 acre Parks larger than 1 acre but Parks larger than 20 acres The layer of tree leaves, in size smaller than 20 acres in size in size branches, trunks, and stems, that cover the ground when viewed from above

CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT %001 %001 %95 %001 %45 %001 %0 40% %41 of people live of people live of people live of people live of people live of people live potential tree actual tree ten ten canopy canopy minute walk minute walk minute walk minute walk minute walk minute walk

PARK MAINTENANCE Cleanliness Overall Condition

Maria Hernandez Park Rudd Playground

NYC Parks’ Park Inspection NYC Parks’ Park Inspection Program rating based on the Program rating for overall park maintenance conditions weeds, and ice

CITYWIDE BUSHWICK CITYWIDE BUSHWICK GOAL RESULT GOAL RESULT 90% 80% 85% %07 of inspections of inspections of inspections of inspections rated “acceptable” rated “acceptable” rated “acceptable” rated “acceptable”

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN OPEN SPACE INDEX ❁ 5 Findings and Recommendations

ACCESS INFRASTRUCTURE

Bushwick is severely underserved in The maintenance of Bushwick’s open Findings open space, with just 0.2 acres of open spaces falls short of Index goals in NYC space for every 1,000 residents. No one in Parks’ own inspections and based on Bushwick lives within a ten-minute walk to neighbor testimony gathered as part of a large park. There are many community NY4P’s research. Litter is rampant in open gardens, but they are not well known. In spaces and on the streets. While the 47 the past, walking to and within local parks playgrounds in the neighborhood surpass was considered dangerous: residents often the goal, residents report that there are avoided them. Open spaces are now safe, not enough playgrounds to meet local but as the neighborhood develops and demand. More people with pets now live residents are displaced from the western in Bushwick, creating an unfilled need for side of the neighborhood, they lose access more dog-runs. Longtime residents feel to those improved open spaces. There is that open space improvements have been no wayfinding information to tell residents inequitable, catering to the developing and where open spaces are or the safest gentrifying western side of the neighbor- routes to get to them. hood. There is also fear that an increased population will overwhelm existing park infrastructure.

Recommendations 1. To make existing open spaces more 1. To ensure equitable distribution of accessible and to create new open improvements and investments, projects spaces, the Parks Without Borders to expand access and to create new treatment should be given to existing open spaces should be extended to parks in Bushwick, such as Maria Her- the eastern and northern portions of nandez Park, and public land adjacent to the neighborhood. Any plan should NYC Department of Education (DOE) be informed by community members, and New York City Housing Authority reflecting their needs and culture. City (NYCHA) properties should be made agencies and developers should work accessible to the public where possible. together to create new public open spaces, new dog runs, and other 2. New developments in the area should amenities identified by the community. dedicate a portion of their floor area to public or private open space, to 2. To create waterfront access in Bush- lessen the usership demand on wick, community-based organizations, existing open spaces. NYC Parks, and NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) should 3. To make navigating to open spaces work together to enact Riverkeeper’s easier, multilingual English and Spanish Newtown Creek Vision Plan. wayfinding signage should be established around the neighborhood. It should 3. To better maintain existing open highlight open space hours and history, spaces and green infrastructure, more and show how to get to the closest consistent maintenance work should be large park, Highland Park. This could a goal for the NYC Parks staff, the DEP be carried out by NYC Department bioswale staff, and community-based of Transportation (DOT) in collabora- organizations that already steward tion with NYC Parks, GreenThumb, parks and open spaces. and local community- and arts- based organizations.

6 ✿ NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS NY4P’s Findings and Recommendations are guided by the vision set forth in the 2017 Public Realm Bill of Rights for New York City. Visit ny4p.org/general/public-realm-bill-of-rights-for-new-york-city to learn more.

HEALTH ENVIRONMENT FUNDING

While the amount of playgrounds in Bushwick has a robust community garden Bushwick was one of the neighborhoods Bushwick exceed the citywide goal, there presence; there are 19 gardens spread most affected by New York City’s fiscal cri- is too little open space for active rec- across the neighborhood. These con- sis in the 1970s, meaning it has long borne reation, contributing to negative health tribute to the overall greenery, culture, the brunt of public and private disinvest- outcomes in the neighborhood. Bushwick character, and resilience, but they alone ment. This is reflected in the amount and children suffer from increased levels of do not provide sufficient permeability quality of open space in the neighborhood. asthma and obesity, and a lack of pro- and biodiversity. Community members There has been a need for both mainte- gramming and active recreation amenities want more pervious surface in local nance and capital improvements, and res- are contributing factors. The fields and open spaces.There are too few trees idents feel that Bushwick is only receiving courts that do exist are well-loved and in Bushwick’s open spaces and along its funding now that developers have begun heavily used, booked to capacity with streets, and tree canopy covers only 14% to invest. Community organizations and formal leagues, which leaves no room of the neighborhood despite the poten- volunteer groups have long been the main for informal pick-up games. The neighbor- tial for 40% to be covered if trees were stewards of parks and community gardens. hood has no recreation center to serve planted and stewarded in all available Most of their funding is self-raised. indoor recreation needs. spaces. Furthermore, residents fear that new developments do not have plans to replace construction-damaged trees.

1. To empower Bushwick’s residents 1. To increase tree canopy coverage, 1. NYC Parks must ensure that Bushwick to better their health outcomes and reduce flooding, and improve the parks, open spaces, and community build long-term habits around healthy aesthetics and quality of existing open gardens feel the results of the FY 2020 nutrition and recreation, more program- spaces, more cover should be added $43 million increase in citywide funding ming and education should take place to open spaces and the public realm in for parks operations and maintenance. in existing open spaces and community the form of trees and their beds, grass 2. More funding for parks and gardens centers. Community-based organiza- fields, and bioswales. Green infrastruc- will help them improve, stay clean, stay tions should partner with NYC Parks, ture enhancements should be built into open, and engage more residents in GreenThumb, the NYC Department community gardens in coordination healthy activity. The Mayor and City of Health, and Partnerships for Parks with their stewards and into existing Council should work together to to bring multilingual programming and parks and open spaces by NYC DEP ensure more funding for NYC Parks engagement to the existing open spaces, in collaboration with NYC Parks. and GreenThumb, as well as NYCHA, and to create more awareness and 2. As NYC Parks received over $8 milllion to ensure improvements to their education around the importance of in funding for gardens in FY 2020, public open spaces. cleaning up after pets. Bushwick community gardens should 3. Existing volunteer groups should 2. To increase the amount of active receive proportionate funding for be given more support, resources, recreation space, more athletic courts improvements. and opportunities to do bilingual and fields should be constructed on 3. Trees in the neighborhood should be programming and engage their public and private land in Bushwick. protected and replaced if taken down neighbors. Groups should join the Multilingual signage at every existing for any private or public development, Brooklyn Parks & Open Space Coalition open space should explain in clear and new developments should plant to be connected to each other and to terms how to book space and organize additional trees with a long-term other resources. Partnerships for Parks activities. To align with goals related to maintenance plan for them. should also receive more support to community empowerment, NYC Parks boost grassroots groups in cleaning, should partner with public agencies and maintaining, and advocating for private developers to create indoor and Bushwick’s open spaces. outdoor public recreation centers.

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN OPEN SPACE INDEX ❁ 7 NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF The Arthur Ross Center for Parks and Open Spaces Joel Steinhaus, Chair Lynn B. Kelly 55 Broad Street, 23rd Floor Mark Hoenig, Secretary Executive Director New York, NY 10004 Fern Thomas, Treasurer Gabriella Cappo (212) 838-9410 Gabrielle S. Brussel Outreach Coordinator & www.ny4p.org Kate Collignon Director of the Daffodil Project Christopher Collins Justin Cristando Margaret A. Doyle Development Associate Audrey Feuerstein New Yorkers for Parks is the citywide Sam Mei Catherine Morrison Golden Fiscal Manager independent organization championing Paul Gottsegen Lucy Robson George J. Grumbach, Jr. quality parks and open spaces for all Director of Research & Policy New Yorkers in all neighborhoods. Parks Kyle Kimball Albert Laverge Jessica Saab Communications & are essential to the health of residents, the Carol Loewenson Administration Associate livability of neighborhoods, and the economic Lynden B. Miller Michelle Velez development of the city. Through an integrated Josh Moskowitz Patricia Ornst Director of Development approach of research, advocacy, and strategic Jon Paradiso Emily Walker partnerships, we drive immediate actions and Alan Steel Director of Outreach & Programs long-term policies that protect and enhance Edward C. Wallace Jamala Wallace Research & Policy Analyst the city’s vast network of parks, ensure EMERITUS DIRECTORS Robin Weinstein equitable access to quality open spaces for Ann L. Buttenwieser Director of Operations & Finance all neighborhoods, and inform and empower Ellen Chesler Barbara S. Dixon PROJECT STAFF communities throughout New York City. Barbara Fife Mariana Lo Richard Gilder Research & Policy Analyst This study was made possible in part by Michael Grobstein Jessica Brown funds granted by the Altman Foundation. Ira M. Millstein Graduate Research & Philip R. Pitruzzello Planning Intern New Yorkers for Parks’ research is also supported Wilfrido Batista, Ashley Berton, by The J.M. Kaplan Fund, the Cowles Charitable SPECIAL THANKS Ebelin Garcia, Justin Helmkamp, Trust, and other generous funders. Brooklyn Community Board 4 Lauren Jimenez Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust Field Survey Interns Hester Street Collaborative Report Design: Michael Bierman Mayday Space Photography: NY4P Staff Newtown Creek Alliance © 2019, New Yorkers for Parks Office of Council Member Antonio Reynoso Office of Council Member Rafael Espinal RiseBoro Community Partnership Great Parks Make a Great City ii ✿ NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS