Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, MANHATTAN Lenox Hill, Turtle Bay, East Midtown CITY Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Stuyvesant Town, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 4 Cooper Village 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 : Robert Moses Playground “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. The fate of Robert Moses Playground Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Turtle Bay has been an issue for several years, since the United Nations The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, proposed taking over this PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in playground to expand its offices. sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Local elected officials oppose the structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access plan, and the proposal has still including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists not come to a vote. To download stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- New Yorkers for Parks’ educa- and more, the City is working to tive to reclaim streets for public use tional brochure on alienation, please visit www.ny4p.org 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 Saint Vartan Park, Murray Hill manhattan CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 E 102 ST From Manhattan Community Board 6: AV W 86 ST District Statistics E 97 ST 00.5 1 Miles WEST END ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS Total district acreage 1,203 Upper West Side RESERVOIR W Carnegie Hill ‘Quality of Life’ in the Board area 1 Total parkland acreage 19 ‘‘is of major concern; open, public AV Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 9 CENTRAL PK of total district acreage Percent parkland 2% passive and active recreation space COLUMBUS E 91 ST 2 Citywide 14% FDR DR W 76 ST 51 has had a substantial impact on that Ranking of City parkland POPULATION W LA acres/resident Population 155,837 quality of life. This district has less (1=highest, 51=lowest) 6 8 Population under 18 17,400 E 86 ST park space per capita than almost any HY W 72 ST Upper East Side Percent under 18 11% Yorkville 49 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents <1 other district in the city. We continue AV Ranking of City parks & THE LAKE playgrounds acres/child ARK Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 2 P R D to emphasize the need for adequate ER W 67 ST AV LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 4 Citywide maintenance, operation and protec- BOAT BASIN E 79 ST AV Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish ON EAST END tion of our rehabilitated parks. Lincoln Square Percent of homes speaking this language 5% 18% E 77 ST LEXINGT Lenox Hill CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 4 Citywide E 74 ST Registered voters 89% 76% Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 E 72 ST AV Number general parks-related ORK ’’ Y 311 calls per 1,000 residents 3 10 Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance E 68 ST 5 Parks, playgrounds CENTRAL PK S 4 per 1,000 residents 1 1 AV 5 PARK RESOURCES CD 4 Citywide and beaches E 63 ST E 66 ST Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. 1 Samuel Seabury Playground 7 Robert Moses Playground AV District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $700,000 $4.2 million 8 Roosevelt 2 Stanley Isaacs Courts 8 Saint Vartan Park AV 7 Island E 59 ST W 48 ST PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 9 East River Esplanade W 51 ST Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. 4 MacArthur Park 10 Asser Levy Recreation Center 5 FY 2004 FY 2008 5 Mary O’Connor Playground 11 Murphy Park 100 98% 80 6 Tudor Grove Playground 89% 88% 86% Sutton60 Place E 53 ST 40 rated cent parks LEGEND nn DPR community gardens Midtown r ON PL S 20 “acceptable” 3 E 49 ST Tu rtle Bay Pe 1/4 Mile nn Other community gardens SUTT 0 WEST RD AV Council District Border nn DPR beaches T CD 4 Citywide AY EAST RD nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland DW OA ANDERBIL OPEN SPACE CD 4 Citywide Parks and Recreation (DPR) V nn City-owned vacant land BR parks, playgrounds and 36 ST 3