Reading the Landscape: Citywide Social Assessment of New York City Parks and Natural Areas in 2013-2014 Social Assessment White Paper No. 2 March 2016 Prepared by: D. S. Novem Auyeung Lindsay K. Campbell Michelle L. Johnson Nancy F. Sonti Erika S. Svendsen Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 8 Study Area ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Data Collection .................................................................................................................................... 12 Data Analysis........................................................................................................................................ 15 Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 16 Park Profiles ......................................................................................................................................... 16 System-Wide Analysis and Cross-Park Comparison ............................................................................ 16 Park Use ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Park Connectivity ............................................................................................................................ 27 Park Meaning .................................................................................................................................. 32 Stewardship ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Sociability ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Perceptions of and Interactions with Natural Areas (only 2014 parks) .......................................... 42 Next Steps .................................................................................................................................... 44 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 45 Importance of Considering the Social in Urban Parks and Natural Areas ........................................... 45 References .................................................................................................................................... 46 Appendix A: Differences Between 2013 & 2014 Protocols .............................................................. 47 Appendix B: Park Interior Protocol ................................................................................................ 48 Park Interior Protocol in 2013 ............................................................................................................. 48 Park Interior Protocol in 2014 ............................................................................................................. 51 Appendix C: Park Edge Protocol ..................................................................................................... 54 Park Edge Protocol in 2013 .................................................................................................................. 54 Park Edge Protocol in 2014 .................................................................................................................. 57 Appendix D: Interview Protocol ..................................................................................................... 59 Interview Protocol in 2013 .................................................................................................................. 59 Interview Protocol in 2014 .................................................................................................................. 60 Appendix E: Detailed Methods and Definitions .............................................................................. 61 Appendix F: Checklist for Conducting Field Work ........................................................................... 68 Reading the Landscape: A Citywide Social Assessment Page | 2 Tables Table 1. Characteristics of assessed NYC parks .......................................................................................... 10 Table 2. Counts of observed human activities from three visits (entire park) ........................................... 17 Table 3. Counts of observed human activities from three visits (Forever Wild areas only) ....................... 18 Table 4. Signs of prior use of parks citywide and within each borough (entire park) ................................ 19 Table 5. Signs of prior use of parks citywide and within each borough (Forever Wild areas only) ............ 20 Table 6. Number of people engaged in activities by park .......................................................................... 22 Table 7. Site types for other outdoor places visited by interview respondents ......................................... 28 Table 8. Top 20 named outdoor places visited by interview respondents ................................................. 28 Table 9. Reasons for visiting park (entire park) .………….…………………………………………………………………………34 Table 10. Reasons for visiting park (Forever Wild only) …………………………………………………………………………34 Table 11. Other forms of engagement, potential stewards, and barriers to stewardship identified by interview respondents ......................................................................................................................... 37 Table 12. Number of social groups by park ................................................................................................ 40 Table 13. What users do in natural areas .............................................................................................. …45 Table 14. Why users do not visit natural areas ........................................................................................... 43 Figures Figure 1. Map of NYC parks in the 2013-2014 citywide social assessment ................................................ 11 Figure 2. Zone delineation in Conference House Park, Staten Island, NYC ................................................ 13 Figure 3. Edges of Bronx Park, Pelham Bay Park, and Seton Falls Park ...................................................... 14 Figure 4. Park users working and walking in Flushing Meadows Corona Park ........................................... 14 Figure 5. Interviewing a cyclist at Cunningham Park .................................................................................. 15 Figure 6. Observed human activities in Broad Channel American Park, Pelham Bay Park, and Van Cortlandt Park....................................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 7. Signs of prior use in Alley Pond, La Tourette, and High Rock Parks. ............................................ 19 Figure 8. Total people observed within each park during all three visits .................................................. 23 Figure 9. Number of people observed compared to park acreage, number of amenities, and number of observed activities across all parks ...................................................................................................... 24 Figure 10. Frequency of park use ............................................................................................................... 25 Figure 11. Distance traveled by park users ................................................................................................. 27 Figure 12. Distinct and clearly marked edges of Canarsie Park and Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park ....... 29 Figure 13. Less clearly marked edges of Brookville Park and Conference House Park .............................. 29 Figure 14. Edges of Clove Lakes Park and Conference House Park ............................................................ 30 Figure 15. Landscaping on the parks side that mirrored the neighborhood side near Forest Park ........... 30 Figure 16. Edges of Brant Point Wildlife Sanctuary and Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary .......................... 31 Figure 17. Edges of Alley Pond Park and Wolfe’s Pond Park ...................................................................... 31 Figure 18. Participation in formal stewardship ........................................................................................... 36 Figure 19. Puppet show at Van Cortlandt Park, photographers at Fort Washington Park ......................... 39 Figure 20. Number of social groups in each park ....................................................................................... 41 Figure 21. The relationship between number of social groups and number of amenities. ....................... 41 Figure