North Riverdale, Fieldston, BRONX Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, CITY Van Cortlandt Village, Norwood, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 11 Woodlawn, Wakefield, Belmont, Bronxdale 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 : Van Cortlandt Park “Parkland alienation” is the taking of parkland for a non-park use. Today, parkland can be taken for development too easily, and in a dense city where parks are our front and back yards, this can have a devastating effect. New Yorkers for Parks has worked with the legal community to strengthen the alienation process and protect parks that are in danger of being alienated. Since 2003, 48 acres of Van Cort- Ewen Park, Spuyten Duyvil landt Park have been used for construction of a water filtration The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, plant. A lawsuit required that PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in the City pay $243 million to sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways revitalize other Bronx parks as structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access mitigation. Visit www.ny4p.org including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists for more information on park- stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- land alienation. 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: Bronx BRONX Parkland Alienation Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Bronx vs. Citywide (Percent rated acceptable) Numbers Although the Bronx has the most parkland of the Bronx Citywide five boroughs, much of that acreage is contained in 100% 2,596 Pelham Bay Park, at 2,766 acres the largest in the city. Acres of natural areas Bronx parks have been subject to two significant cases 90% of “alienation”: the taking of parkland for a non-park 191 use. In 2003, the City and State approved construc- Playgrounds 80% tion of a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park, and in 2006, 22 acres of well-loved parkland 117 70% Comfort stations were alienated for a new Yankee Stadium. The Van 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Cortlandt Park case was high-profile and resulted in The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 374 mitigation funds for Bronx parks, but the alienation through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains at Yankee Stadium took place in only eight days with residents left in the dark. Both cases resulted in 144 soured relations between the City and the affected Athletic fields communities. Unfortunately, parkland can be legally 201 taken without public notification. The alienation pro- Basketball courts cess must be strengthened so that parkland in every borough can be preserved for New Yorkers. 436 Greenstreets Three non-profit partner groups fundraise for Bronx parks, in addition to 10 groups that raise money to 10 Pools support parks citywide. Bronx Park Staffing 27 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 216 City Parks Workers At left: Van Cortlandt Park, Van Cortlandt Village & Associate Park Above: Poe Park, Fordham Service Workers 52 The Bronx has the highest percentage of land devoted to parks of the five boroughs. Park Supervisors Bronx Citywide Park acreage 7,002 29,000 12 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 26% 14% Specialists The Bronx has the 2nd lowest number of residents per acre of parkland of the five boroughs. 5 Total population 1.3 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 190 276 23 The Bronx has the 2nd greatest tree canopy coverage of the five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 24% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 37 41 Van0 Cortlandt Park, 0.5Bronx 1Miles bronX CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 11 ´ College of District Statistics St Vincent AV ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS AV LIEBIG AV Total district acreage 5,164 ALE ALISADE Total parkland acreage 1,876 P W 260 ST RIVERD New Jersey North Riverdale Parks & playgrounds acreage 1,674 E 242 ST Percent City parkland E 241 ST of total district acreage Y HUDSON PY Percent parkland 36% Westchester County W 254 ST AV W 256 ST HENR Citywide 14% AV SET 4 ON HUDSON RIVER RD MOSHOLU 1 MAR 5W 253 ST AV 4 CAMP ST POPULATION RICHARDSON Ranking of City parkland E 239 ST THA E 239 ST KA KEPLER AV AV acres/resident AV 6 T Population 164,722 ONAH WaNEREIDkefield (1=highest, 51=lowest) W AV AV 2 Population under 18 38,436 BULLARD SPAULDING LA AV 11 AV E 236 ST PITMAN Percent under 18 23% GOODRIDGE 7 E 234 ST Y HUDSON PY 3 AV 4 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 11 Ranking of City parks & AV HENR WOODLAWN LAKE AV HUDSON RIVER ALDO AV VAN CORTLANDT LAKE ALD playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 44 Riverdale W ON ON EDENW ALISADE DUR P Woodlawn Cemetery BRONX RIVER YEA LIVINGST E 230 ST JER LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 11 Citywide AV 8 OME AV Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish A PL 9 GRENAD 11 Percent of homes speaking this language 21% 18% 10 W 236 ST Eastchester 12 AV AV AV ON Williamsbridge NEW 13 ALE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 11 Citywide AV SCHIEFFELIN ARLINGT W MOSHOLU PY N Edenwald RIVERD 11 AV Registered voters 77% 76% SEDGWICK DEKALB E 224 ST AV 16 17 AV Number general parks-related 14 W 227 ST AV E 216 ST 12 E 210 ST YNE 311 calls per 1,000 residents 10 10 AV WA WILLETT Spuyten Duyvil KINGSBRIDGE 19 CHESTER ST Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance 15 ULDING E 211 ST E AV 21 PA per 1,000 residents 2 1 18 TLANDT Olinville 23 TILDEN ST AN COR NEW ENGLAND JEROME PARK V NEWELL ST 22 AV WY Marble Hill RESERVOIR AV 20 TUR PARK RESOURCES CD 11 Citywide A Norwood AV SPUYTEN DUYVIL CREEK AN DEC APUCHIN GIV TE Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. GOULDEN C Co-Op City ROSEWOOD ST AV TY ET NB AV AV TING District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $1.9 million $4.2 million W 197 ST UL AV PA * LUR HAMMERSLEY TE BRIGGS AV KINGSBRIDGE AV Baychester OIR PARKVIEW PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS 7 V OUNG * Bedford Park AV Y RESER Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections.