Lower East Side, East Village, Stuyvesant Town, MANHATTAN Cooper Village, Gramercy, Murray Hill, CITY Kips Bay, West Village, Hudson Yards, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 2 Chelsea, Flatiron, Union Square 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 : Stuyvesant Square The Daffodil Project, a partner- ship between New Yorkers for Parks and the NYC Parks Department, was created as a citywide beautification project and living memorial to Sep- tember 11. Each year, thanks to the generous donation of B&K Flowerbulbs, the two groups distribute hundreds of thousands of free daffodil bulbs for volun- teers and community groups to plant in New York City’s parks Tompkins Square Park, East Village and open spaces. In 2008 PS 40 planted thousands of daffodil The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, bulbs in Stuyvesant Square. Visit PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in www.ny4p.org for more informa- sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways tion on The Daffodil Project. structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- 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 Corlears Hook Park, Lower East Side manhattan CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 T Tudor City AV 0 0.51 Miles ARK P From Manhattan Community Board 3: District Statistics Murray Hill ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS AV Total district acreage 1,036 7 E 35 ST The open space/population ratio Total parkland acreage 102 ‘‘is approximately 0.7 acres per Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 94 of total district acreage Percent parkland 10% 1,000 people…. The open space AY Citywide 14% DW we do have is not evenly distributed OA 36 BR Ranking of City parkland POPULATION 3 acres/resident Population 154,310 throughout the district…. Toilets S (1=highest, 51=lowest) AV E 28 ST Population under 18 17,733 Chelsea ARK in Community Board 3 parks and P 1 Percent under 18 11% 24 Acres parkland per 1000 residents <1 playgrounds are badly needed. Ranking of City parks & playgrounds acres/child Acres parks and playgrounds per 1,000 children 5 AS 2 LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 2 Citywide Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 AMERIC Flatiron E 23 ST THE Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish OF Percent of homes speaking this language 15% 18% ’’ AV CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 2 Citywide Parks, playgrounds NW E 19 ST Registered voters 89% 76% ICH Gramercy AV Number general parks-related and beaches 4 311 calls per 1,000 residents 5 10 1 Albano Playground 9 Dry Dock Playground 3 Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance 2 Bellevue South Park 10 El Jardin del Paraiso 2 4 F D R DR per 1,000 residents 2 1 3 Union Square Park 11 Hamilton Fish Park PARK RESOURCES CD 2 Citywide 4 Peter’s Field 12 Wald Playground E 14 ST 5 Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. 5 Stuyvesant Square 13 Baruch Playground AV 2 District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $2.4 million $4.2 million 6 Saucer Park 14 East River Park AV 7 Tompkins Square Park 15 Vladeck Park 4 PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS Stuyvesant Town 8 McKinley Playground 16 Corlears Hook Park Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. FY 2004 FY 2008 100 C AV Greenwich Village 80 92% 88% 88% 86% LEGEND nn DPR community gardens 60 40 1/8 Mile nn Other community gardens ST MARK'S PL rated cent parks r Council District Border 20 “acceptable” nn DPR beaches 6 Pe nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland W HOUST East Village 0 CD 2 Citywide Parks and Recreation (DPR) E 5 ST ON ST A nn City-owned vacant land parks, playgrounds and AV OPEN SPACE CD 2 Citywide greenstreets Q DPR schoolyards-to- playgrounds sites 7 Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres 48 4 nn DPR natural areas 9 Y Vacant lot acreage 13 8,512 (Schoolyards-to-playgrounds is a citywide PlaNYC initiative E 3 ST to open schoolyards to the public during afterschool hours.) WER Percent vacant 1% 4% BO 8 D HEALTH AV Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 2 Citywide Asthma 27 31 10 Diabetes 10 11 EDUCATION CD 2 Citywide Little Italy Percent fourth graders meeting standards in math 83% 81% Percent fourth graders meeting standards in reading 67% 63% 11 12 DELANCEY ST ETTE ST Y FA Lower East Side 1 13 Tompkins Square Park, East Village Chinatown 14 Tools for Action Let your elected officials know how important parks are to you.