8 City Council District Profiles
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MANHATTAN CITY Upper West Side, East Harlem, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 8 Mott Haven, Port Morris Parks are an essential city service. They are the barometers of our city. From Flatbush to Flushing and Morrisania to Midtown, parks are the front and backyards of all New Yorkers. Well-maintained and designed parks offer recreation and solace, improve property values, reduce crime, and contribute to healthy communities. SHOWCASE : Thomas Jefferson Park New Yorkers for Parks’ award- winning Report Card on Parks project was designed in 2002 and is the only independent, annual survey of the maintenance of parks in all five boroughs. It tells New Yorkers how their parks are doing in key service areas, like bathrooms, playgrounds, and pathways. Every summer New Yorkers for Parks inspects park properties across the city to ad- vocate for improvement. Thomas Playground 103, East Harlem Jefferson Park received a grade of D on the 2007 Report Card The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, on Parks. Its drinking fountains, PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in sitting areas, passive greenspace, sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways and active recreation space structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access scored poorly. Visit www.ny4p including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists .org for more information on stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- the Report Card on Parks. and more, the City is working to tive to reclaim streets for public use update infrastructure for a growing brings fresh vibrancy to the city. population while addressing envi- ronmental concerns. Through ambi- New York City’s population is tious goals to increase access to parks projected to increase by one million and open spaces, New York’s fiscally new residents by 2030, and demand prudent administration affirms that for our 29,000 acres of parkland investing in parks is good business. will only grow. It is imperative that creative efforts to expand our open Park innovations have flourished in spaces continue—but perhaps more recent years. The creation of Hudson importantly, existing parks must be River Park and the revitalization of protected, maintained and adequate- Bryant Park allow access to areas ly funded to best serve current and that were previously off-limits due to future New Yorkers. City Council District Profiles City Council District Profiles Citywide CITYWIDE Parks by the A New Master Plan for Parks Numbers Significant steps have been made toward PlaNYC’s parks and open space targets, which include ensuring 29,000 that every New Yorker lives within a 10-minute walk Acres of parkland of a park and planting 1 million trees. Important 1,700 projects like the development of regional parks and Parks the “schoolyards-to-playgrounds” initiative, which opens schoolyards after hours to the public, increase 1,000 recreation space, thus resulting in an even greater Playgrounds need for maintenance funds. 2,300 PlaNYC shows the City’s commitment to Greenstreets improving open space and recreation opportunities. 12,000 Now, we must take the next step and create a master Acres of natural areas plan for New York City’s parks, which does not exist today. A master plan would respond to particular 600,000 neighborhood and regional needs and outline how Park trees best to expand the park system to serve current 2 million and future residents. Street trees Any expansion to the parks system requires 14 maintenance funding. Most city parks rely on Miles of beaches public funding, but this is not a predictable source as evidenced by the current economic recession. 800 While spending on park maintenance increased by Athletic fields 50 percent under Mayor Bloomberg between 2003 50 and 2008, a gloomy economic forecast can be expect- Recreation centers ed to result in cuts to the Parks budget in 2009 and beyond. Public-private partnerships will be affected 66 by the recession as well. Innovative funding streams Pools —as well as improved management strategies— can help ensure that the parks system will 6 weather these storms. Top: Breininger Playground, Queens Ice rinks Above: Central Park, Manhattan 22 Historic house museums Historical City Funding for the Parks Department (Adjusted) 1,000 $500 Monuments, sculptures and $400 historical markers DOLLARS $300 OF $200 MILLIONS $100 IN $0 ’89 ’90 ’91 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10* FISCAL YEAR *2010 = Projected budget By the Borough: Manhattan MANHATTAN Public-Private Partnerships Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Manhattan vs. Citywide (Percent rated acceptable) Numbers Manhattan’s parks are well-loved and well-used. Manhattan Citywide When New York City’s fiscal crisis of the 1970s 100% 671 resulted in a decline in park conditions, a new Acres of natural areas movement of private support through public-private 90% partnerships was born. Manhattan’s parks have ben- 209 efited significantly from groups like the Central Park Playgrounds 80% Conservancy and Madison Square Park Conservancy, which have brought innovative management and 130 70% Comfort stations additional funding to the parks. Every park along 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Fifth Avenue from Central Park to the Battery The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 576 benefits from private support and funding. through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains Twenty-three non-profit partner groups fundraise 160 for Manhattan parks, in addition to 10 groups that Athletic fields raise money to support parks citywide. 215 Basketball courts 317 Greenstreets 22 Pools Manhattan Park Staffing 33 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 237 City Parks Workers At left: Bennett Park, Washington Heights & Associate Park Above: Bryant Park, Midtown Service Workers 57 Manhattan has the 3rd lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the five boroughs. Park Supervisors Manhattan Citywide Park acreage 2,711 29,000 34 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 19% 14% Specialists Manhattan has the highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the five boroughs. 28 Total population 1.5 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 567 276 54 Manhattan has the lowest tree canopy coverage of the five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 13% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 49 41 Thomas Jefferson Park, East Harlem 00.5 1Miles manhattan / bronx CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 8 OO E A T A LLO D RR ST V AYETT N A DW ST AV LAF Y AV GA E 144 ST UL E 155 ST W AV KELL CA AV E 152 ST H HUDSO TERRA W 137 ST CE PL MANID COLLEGE E 151 ST AV DRAKE BECK ST SPOFFORD A ST E 140 ST FOX ST AV E 143 ST GRINNELL F E 135 ST AILE ST LEGGETT Hunts PointALL AV RAND PL WHI AV District Statistics TIMPSON PL 7 TTIER USTIN PL CLAREMONT 17 A W 121 ST E 147 ST OA W 129 ST ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS HUDSON RIVER ST DEEGAN EP COSTER ST AV UCKNER BL AV 5 E 1 BR DRAK AV 1 OAK POINT 2 B Total district acreage 2,678 WHarlem 125 ST ARRETT SR 3 Columbia 3 Y AV E 142 ST EAST BA Total parkland acreage 1,257 ALEXANDER O ST University AV Amtrak Freight Yard * 4 VIEL Parks & playgrounds acreage 1,238 W Percent City parkland 8 CKSON 9 E 132 ST 8 JA of total district acreage Percent parkland 47% 5 Mott Haven A AV E 134 ST RYAW AV AV E 125 ST X 10 6 W 115 ST MT MORRIS PK WILLIS Citywide 14% 9 E 137 ST AV LENO 2 7 11 12 E 132 ST 7 MORNINGSIDE DR * E 124 ST Ranking of City parkland POPULATION AN CT BRONX 18 V 18 AV 19 SYL 14 KILL acres/resident AN Port Morris Population 160,741 19 TT (1=highest, 51=lowest) CENTRAL PK N 13 AV W 112 ST 2 Population under 18 40,844 20 MANHA * Amtrak Railyard 17 W 100 ST Percent under 18 25% Manhattan Valley * 15 E 116 ST 16 21 AV 5 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 8 H HUDSON PY EN SB 17 Ranking of City parks & 22 East Harlem playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 30 W PLEASANT 24 E 114 ST H HUDSON PY ET SB W 96 ST 8 E 110 ST Randalls CENTRAL PK 25 Island LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 8 Citywide 26 28 23 27 Most22 common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish Riker's Island 8 E 105 ST Percent of homes speaking this language 34% 18% 29 HAZEN ST E 98 ST 31 AV 32 RIKERS IS BR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 8 Citywide Upper West Side E 98 ST 33 E 102 ST 30 WEST END W 85 ST 34 35 Registered voters 75% 76% RESERVOIR E 96 ST Carnegie Hill AV Number general parks-related W 81 ST 2 H HUDSON PY EN NB 36 311 calls per 1,000 residents 7 10 Y HUDSON PY Wards RIKERS ISLAND CHANNEL RIVERSIDE DR AV HENR 37 Island Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance LUYSTER CREEK per 1,000 residents 2 1 6 COLUMBUS W 74 ST PARK RESOURCES CD 8 Citywide E 90 ST MILLER HY ET NB EAST RIVER Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. Upper East Side E 85 ST District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $9.5 million $4.2 million FREEDOM PL W 72 ST RIVERSIDE BL Yorkville BOWERY BAY MILLER HY PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS W 64 ST Steinway Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections.