Battery Park City Authority Parks User Count and Study 2017-2018
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Battery Park City Authority Parks User Count and Study 2017-2018 Michelle Ronda, Ph.D. Robin Isserles, Ph.D. Borough of Manhattan Community College City University of New York Battery Park City Authority Parks User Count and Study 2017-2018 October 3, 2018 Co-Principal Investigators: Michelle Ronda, Ph.D. Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Robin Isserles, Ph.D. Professor, Sociology Borough of Manhattan Community College City University of New York 199 Chambers Street Woodland play area in Teardrop Park New York, NY 10007 Research Consultants: William Kornblum, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Sociology Graduate Center of the City University of New York Ilir Disha, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Borough of Manhattan Community College For inquiries about this research project, contact Professor Ronda at (212) 220-8000 x. 5338 or email [email protected]. For other inquiries, contact Abby Ehrlich, Director of Community Partnerships and Engagement, Battery Park City Authority, at (212) 417-4256. Figure al Fresco in South Cove is one of several free, weekly art programs provided for all ages with artist- instructors Cover: Teardrop Park (All photographs provided by Battery Park City Authority) Page 2 of 130 Table of Contents Table of Figures............................................................................................................. 5 FOREWORD ................................................................................................................... 8 PREFACE ..................................................................................................................... 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 13 Battery Park City at a Glance ..................................................................................... 19 Limitations of the BPC Parks User Study ................................................................. 28 Contextualizing Battery Park City: American Community Survey .......................... 31 Gender, Age, and Families ...................................................................................... 32 Race, Ethnicity and Nativity .................................................................................... 32 Social Capital ........................................................................................................... 33 Economic Indicators ............................................................................................... 33 Some intra-BPC comparisons ................................................................................ 34 Implications of ACS data ........................................................................................ 35 BPCA Parks User Count and Surveys: Analysis of Data ......................................... 36 Volume of users in BPCA ....................................................................................... 36 The Users and Uses of BPC public spaces ........................................................... 43 Observed and reported gender of BPC users of public space ........................ 43 Observed and reported race or ethnicity of BPC users of public space ......... 44 Other characteristics of BPC users of public space ......................................... 45 Relationship of visitors to BPC parks ................................................................ 47 BPC Residents ..................................................................................................... 49 With whom do people visit BPC? ....................................................................... 52 BPC parks visitors with children ........................................................................ 54 From where do visitors come and how do they arrive? ................................... 54 What do people do when they visit BPC parks? ............................................... 57 What else would visitors like to see happening at BPC parks? ....................... 60 What are visitors’ least favorite things about BPC parks?............................... 62 Focus groups with stakeholders ............................................................................... 66 CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ......................................................... 71 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX A: Maps of Location Counts ................................................................... 75 APPENDIX B: Sample Counting Document .............................................................. 77 APPENDIX C: Contact Survey (Non-participation) ................................................... 78 Page 3 of 130 APPENDIX D: User Survey ......................................................................................... 79 APPENDIX E: Instructions to Research Assistants for Counts and Surveys (Initial July 2017 and Revised April 2018) ............................................................................. 89 APPENDIX F: Additional data tables and figures ..................................................... 97 APPENDIX G: Methodology of BPCA User Study .................................................. 116 APPENDIX H: Focus Group Schedule ..................................................................... 121 APPENDIX I: Large BPCA events and visitor averages 2017-2018 ....................... 123 APPENDIX J: Additional data on regular users of BPC public institutions and spaces ........................................................................................................................ 124 APPENDIX K: Listing of research assistants by institutional affiliation and role 125 References ................................................................................................................. 127 Wagner Park Pavilions Page 4 of 130 Table of Figures Figure 1: A concept drawing for the future Battery Park City, 1969, New York City ........ 9 Figure 2: Battery Park City's Public Art Collection is the subject of art tours, which includes Jim Dine's sculpture Ape & Cat (At The Dance), Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park . 10 Figure 3: Our last day in BPC parks counting and surveying (June 2018) .................... 11 Figure 4: CUNY student research assistants training in BPC at the steps leading into Rockefeller Park in July 2017 ........................................................................................ 14 Figure 5: BPCA BMCC T-Shirt for Research Assistants designed by Jonathan Gross, BPCA’s Associate Art Director ...................................................................................... 24 Figure 6: Research Assistant Sekou Koulibaly during a shift on the Esplanade ........... 25 Figure 7: Reason for declining participation in BPC Parks User Survey ....................... 27 Figure 8: Battery Park City Census Tracts .................................................................... 31 Figure 9: Annual and seasonal number of users in BPC parks ..................................... 36 Figure 10: Average number of people per day by location ............................................ 38 Figure 11: Evening in Rockefeller Park ......................................................................... 38 Figure 12: Average number of visitors on a typical busy weekend day in BPC parks ... 39 Figure 13: Average number of visitors on a typical busy weekday in BPC parks .......... 40 Figure 14: Average number of people per location on select times of day .................... 41 Figure 15: Gender of BPC Users in Public Space (Contact and User Surveys) ............ 43 Figure 16: Race/ethnicity of BPC parks users in public space (Contact and User Surveys) ........................................................................................................................ 44 Figure 17: Sign along Esplanade directing wheeled-traffic to lower level ...................... 68 Figure 18: Relaxing in Wagner Park in the afternoon .................................................... 70 Figure 19: Main lawn of West Thames Park looking south towards playground ........... 71 Figure 20: South Cove above the path along the water ................................................ 72 Figure 21: South Cove path along the water ................................................................. 72 Table of Tables Table 1: Size of BPC Business Establishments by Zip Code ........................................ 20 Table 2: BPC Housing Units and Vacancy Rates .......................................................... 22 Table 3: BPCA/BMCC User Study Counting and Surveying Locations ......................... 23 Table 4: Battery Park City Parks User Study: Data Gathered by Instrument (July to October 2017 and April to June 2018)........................................................................... 25 Table 5: Season that users are most likely to visit BPC Parks ...................................... 37 Table 6: Season that users are most likely to visit BPC parks by residency ................. 37 Table 7: Time of day that BPC parks users are most likely to visit ................................ 41 Table 8: Time of day users are most likely to visit BPC parks by residency .................. 42 Table 9: Characteristics observed in all contacts made and users surveyed in BPC parks ............................................................................................................................