BROOKLYN CITY East New York, Starrett City, Canarsie, Rugby, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 42 Remsen Village, Brownsville, New Lots 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 : Linden Park The 2008 Spotlight on Recreation is a new project of New Yorkers for Parks award-winning Report Card on Parks. This report examines the conditions of athletic fields, courts, and playgrounds in a ran- dom selection of neighborhood parks. Each outdoor recreation feature was inspected on three separate site visits, once each in June, July, and August to show the performance of these specific features over the course of the summer. The basketball, handball, and tennis courts in Linden Park Linden Park, New Lots were surveyed for this project. The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, The courts scored above the citywide average. Visit www.ny4p PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in .org for more information on the sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Spotlight on Recreation: A Report structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access Card on Parks Project. 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: Brooklyn BROOKLYN Waterfront Reclamation Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Brooklyn vs. Citywide (Percent rated acceptable) Numbers Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was Frederick Law Brooklyn Citywide Olmsted’s self-declared masterpiece. But until 100% 973 recently, Brooklynites have been sorely lacking in Acres of natural areas recreational opportunities along the waterfront. 90% Thanks to several large waterfront projects new 291 attention has been brought to Brooklyn’s coast. Playgrounds 80% The expansive Brooklyn Bridge Park will offer unprecedented access to the water, and the 172 70% Comfort stations Bloomberg Administration’s rezoning of the 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront promises The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 852 new recreational opportunities and greenspace. through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains Five non-profit partner groups fundraise for 246 Brooklyn parks, in addition to 10 groups that Athletic fields raise money to support parks citywide. 343 Basketball courts 480 Greenstreets 16 Pools Brooklyn Park Staffing 20 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 208 City Parks Workers At left: Herbert Von King Park, Bedford Stuyvesant & Associate Park Above: Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park, New Utrecht Service Workers 66 Brooklyn has the lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the five boroughs. Park Supervisors Brooklyn Citywide Park acreage 4,481 29,000 30 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 10% 14% Specialists Brooklyn has the 2nd highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the five boroughs. 13 Total population 2.5 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 550 276 27 Brooklyn has the 3rd lowest tree canopy coverage of the five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 21% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 45 41 Nehemiah Park, Brownsville 00.5 1Miles brOOklyn CIty COUncIL DIstrIct 42 KNICKERBOCKER AV IR AV VING GREENE AV From Brooklyn Community Board 5: Cypress Hills Cemetery District Statistics AV Bushwick 34 ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS GREENE 30 Total district acreage 3, 944 IR VING OODBINE ST We require a full-time recreation W AV Total parkland acreage 305 34 Q Parks and playgrounds acreage 298 CYPRESS HILLS ST Percent City parkland ‘‘ HANCOCK ST ELDER specialist at Gershwin Park. of total district acreage Cemetery of the Evergreens TS LA Percent City parkland 8% CORNELIA ST Citywide 14% RALPH COOPER ST BUSHWICK RICHMOND ST 22 POPULATION AV Ranking of City parkland Statement of District Manager, 2009 AV FORCE Cypress Hills acres/resident B Population 160, 983 ARBERR TUBE AV (1=highest, 51=lowest) 37 SHEPHERD AV Y CT Population under 18 50,313 PILLING ST EUCLID ’’ VERMONT BAINBRIDGE ST DREW ST AV NOR Percent under 18 31% AV 32 LINCOLN RALPH W OOD 21 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 2 SUMPTER ST ON AV Parks, playgrounds AV ARLINGT Ranking of City parks & AV AV Ocean Hill playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 kids 6 AV V AV FUL AN SICLEN TON ST Highland Park WELLS ST LIBERTY ALO TT PL and beaches FF PL ANCHON F N CONDUIT WK LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 42 Citywide AV CHESTNUT ST 1 Newport Playground 16 Wilson Playground PRESCO Broadway Junction AV MARCONI PL LOGAN ST AV PACIFIC ST Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish 2 Nehemiah Park 17 Avenue J Playground ON BL BERRIMAN ST City Line OGA CRESCENT ST T 12 Percent of homes speaking this language 13% 18% 3 Floyd Patterson Field 18 Breukelen Park AV SARA THER GAST GLENMORE PROSPECT PL ASHFORD ST ALAB MO 4 Osborn Playground 19 Ethan Allen Playground LINCOLN AMA AV CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 42 Citywide SHEFFIELD AV VERMONT ST AV FORBELL ST 5 Brownsville Playground 20 Linden Park WA BELMONT DUMONT GLENMORE AV AV TKINS ST AV JUNIUS ST Registered voters 69% 76% 11 DUMONT AV 6 Livonia Playground 21 Jerome Playground AV BELMONT A East New York UTUMN Number general parks-related 7 Lion’s Pride Playground 22 Woodruff Playground POR 41 HOPKINSON 311 calls per 1,000 residents 6 10 HINSD * AV T AV AL ST 8 Schenk Playground 23 Pink Playground PO LORING ALE ST WELL ST Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance AV SUTTER 10 PINE ST 23 ASHFORD ST AV AV per 1,000 residents 0 1 9 Elton Playground 24 Spring Creek Park 78 ST LIVONIA MILFORD ST 8 9 FORBELL ST BRIST 22 10 Linwood Playground 25 Leif Ericson Drive AV OL ST HENDRIX ST ALAB AV 6 EMAN G DUMONT HE CLEVELAND ST PARK RESOURCES CD 42 Citywide 11 Cypress Hills Park 26 Fresh Creek Nature Preserve AMA SHEPHERD 7 WY Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. E AV * NEW JERSEY 94 ST 2 ONA ST MILFORD ST SA 12 Robert Venable Park 27 Gateway National R OCKA STRA CKMAN ST AV 1 3 SPRING CREEK District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $2 million $4.2 million Recreation Area WA USS ST ALAB 13 Railroad Playground AV Y PY AV AMA FOUNT ANLEY 24 28 Canarsie Park ST Spring Creek 14 Remsen Playground Brownsville AV AV SCHENCK TS New Lots 20 21 AIN AV LOTT V PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS A E 98 ST SHEFFIELD N AV 29 Bayview Playground NEW LO MA 15 100% Playground RT AV AV Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections.