New Yorkers for Parks The Urban Center 457 Madison Avenue New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) is a coalition of civic, greening, New York, NY 10022 212.838.9410 recreation, and economic development organizations that advocates www.ny4p.org for a higher level of park services in every community. In addition to The Report Card on Parks, Parks Advocacy Day NY4P: NY4P also produces numerous research Rallies New Yorkers at City Hall once a Works tirelessly to promote and protect projects and community outreach events. year to meet with Council Members to the city’s 28,700 acres of parkland and All of these are designed to keep parks advocate for a citywide parks legislative 1,700 public park properties; and open spaces on the public agenda agenda and local neighborhood concerns. and to provide park users with tools that Raises awareness about the importance The Community Design Program help them to advocate for improved of parks as a vital public service essential Provides pro bono design services to park services. to strengthening the City and its residents; organizations in underserved communities Report Card on Parks to improve and beautify local parks. Serves as an independent watchdog The Report Card on Parks is the first publicly that conducts research and works toward The Natural Areas Initiative accessible park-by-park evaluation of creating a more equitable and efficient A joint program of NY4P and New NYC’s neighborhood parks. parks and recreational system; York City Audubon that promotes the City Council District Profiles protection and effective management Activates public discussion regarding best “One stop shopping” for maps, photo- of New York City’s natural areas. practices for the funding, managing and graphs and statistics on parks funding, designing of parks and recreational programs. How Smart Parks Investment household income levels, population, Pays Its Way health and education for each of the The first study of its kind to document 51 City Council Districts. the economic impact of parks in New The Daffodil Project York City. Its conclusions revealed that A joint endeavor between NY4P and revitalizing parks does translate into the Department of Parks & Recreation, economic benefits. the Project, the largest volunteer planting Please visit our website at www.ny4p.org. effort in NYC history, unites communities and revitalizes parks in all five boroughs. The Report Card on Parks 2004 An Independent Assessment of New York City’s Neighborhood Parks Table of Contents 1 The Report Card on Parks 2 Why another “Report Card on Parks”? 4 Summary of Methodology 7 Findings 12 Conclusions and Recommendations 14 Detailed Methodology 23 Find Your Park The Report Card on Parks is made possible through the generous support of the following foundations: Abby R. Mauzé Charitable Trust Altman Foundation Fund for the City of New York Greenacre Foundation The J.M. Kaplan Fund Merck Family Fund The Prospect Hill Foundation The Scherman Foundation Photos: Peter Wohlsen (cover, page 6) Tobin Brogunier (Table of Contents) & NY4P staff Maps: Community Mapping Assistance Project (CMAP). The Report Card on Parks NY4P’s Report Card on Parks is an effort to demonstrate Although the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) does evaluate its quantitatively the varying quality of neighborhood parks throughout properties using a comprehensive program, ratings are aggregated and published only at the citywide level in the Mayor’s Management the five boroughs.There are several hundred neighborhood parks Report. In contrast, NY4P’s Report Card is designed to provide an analysis of conditions in New York City. Unlike the larger, high-profile parks of the city, on a park-by-park basis.Too often,communi- ties are left “in the dark” when it comes to neighborhood parks are often solely dependent on public funding their park’s performance. NY4P’s community forums have shown time and again that main- tenance needs are critical to park users and and as a result often receive insufficient maintenance attention. often not attended to. In addition to lack of maintenance care, constituents are frustrated The Report Card has three goals: by a lack of information on their neighbor- hood assets — their parks and playgrounds. To provide communities with an To provide an independent To spark debate among These neighborhood parks are the front and back yards of most New Yorkers — assessment of how their neighborhood assessment of neighborhood communities, public agencies they deserve better. 1park is performing in comparison to 2 park performance from year to 3 and advocates about how best other parks in the city. This easily acces- year against a defined minimum level to improve and maintain neighborhood sible on-line information helps communi- of service. This creates accountability parks in need. The Report Card provides ties advocate for improved services in for providing both this defined level of a valuable service by identifying parks in their neighborhood parks. service as well as improvements for every the greatest need, but more importantly, park throughout the five boroughs. The Report Card indicates how we might begin to address that need. By highlighting those high-performing, as well as low- performing parks, best practices can be identified and implemented in select parks and incorporated system-wide. 2004 Report Card on Parks 1 Why another “Report Card on Parks”? In 2003, NY4P released its first annual Report Card on Parks. In the These maintenance and safety concerns fall right in line with the issues highlighted in this year’s Report Card. absence of publicly accessible performance data on New York City’s The 2004 Report Card identified trends that were first tracked in 2003 — too neighborhood parks, NY4P developed The Report Card to provide many neighborhood parks are in disre- pair, lacking open bathrooms, working a citywide snapshot on the state of our open spaces. drinking fountains and green and clean athletic facilities. While the first Report The results of 2004 Report Card illustrate NY4P’s advocacy work provides us with “Our baseball and softball program involves Card documented these conditions, this the need to continue this important countless examples of constituents with 1000 neighborhood children.We need kids year’s Report Card illustrates that these project. We once again documented that maintenance concerns from all five bor- to play baseball; and we need to have the needs are chronic and not just a one- fields ready in time for the start of the sea- too many of our neighborhood parks oughs. At our borough forums, concerned time occurrence. Our neighborhood son — this means open bathrooms as well. are lacking adequate maintenance care. citizens continuously share anecdotal parks continue to suffer, as do the The City should provide dirt or clay at these As this year’s Report Card shows, these experiences that support the statistical communities that depend on them fields so that we can do minor maintenance smaller, low-profile parks are in need findings of The Report Card. Recent for open space and recreation. right before games … the fields get so much of greater investment. concerns have included the following: use.” — Mosholu Montefiori Community In order to maximize the impact of With each summer of additional data “Our park needs grass to cover all the dirt Center,The Bronx The Report Card, it is distributed to areas.Trees should be better maintained — collection, The Report Card becomes a “The park has been neglected for over City Council members, Community a person was injured by falling limbs recent- more powerful tool — illustrating trends, 20 years. It has only 6 swings and 2 slides, Boards and the Mayor’s Office and is ly.The park could also use a second play- tracking improvements and decay, and insufficient lightning and no bathrooms. available to the public on the NY4P ground for there is no place for small kids keeping the spotlight on particular areas At night these conditions attract crime. website (www.ny4p.org). to play. It would also benefit by having a dog of need in NYC’s neighborhood parks. People relive themselves in the bushes and run.The City should focus on sanitation on the stairs, creating unsanitary conditions. pick-up in parks.” — Friends of Devoe Park, No baseball fields — kids play baseball on The Bronx the streets, or have to go to a different neighborhood to find baseball fields.” — Woodbine Tenants Association, Brooklyn 2 New Yorkers for Parks Summary of Methodology This report is intended as a follow Grading the Parks MSAs were not penalized). Letter grades Survey Mechanism up to the 2003 Report Card on Parks. In 2002, NY4P convened a focus group corresponding to these numerical scores NY4P used a comprehensive survey Below is a summary of the methodology of park experts and community leaders to comprise the final park ratings in accor- mechanism developed specifically for The developed in 2002 and implemented in help define the eight Major Service Areas dance with the following conversion table: Report Card on Parks to determine a park’s both the 2003 and 2004 Report Cards. A (MSA), along with a scale of weights to rating. There are 8 MSAs tracked through full discussion of the methodology can be reflect the relative importance of different Raw Numerical Grade Letter Grade the survey mechanism that breakdown found in the “Detailed Methodology” indicators. MSAs were weighted on a scale 97-100 A+ into 12 feature forms. Surveyors complet- section on page 14. of 1 to 5 (5 being the most important to a 93-96 A ed a survey feature form for each of the park user’s experience). These service areas 90-92 A- features found in a park. For example, if Survey Population were evaluated on maintenance, cleanli- 87-89 B+ there are three drinking fountains in a In constructing The Report Card, NY4P 83-86 B ness, safety and structural integrity.