There are wide disparities in the conditions of New York City's neighborhood parks, according to a "report card" recently released by New Yorkers for Parks, a non-profit advocacy group for parks. These are the smaller parks and playgrounds, the basketball courts and playing fields, the leafy spots where senior citizens sit on benches and chess players look for a game.
Almost a quarter of the parks received at least 90 percent for their excellent condition, and another 36 percent earned a 70 or above with reasonably well-kept lawns or playing fields, safe and clean playgrounds, and benches and paths in good repair. But a significant number had bedraggled plantings, dusty, uneven or littered fields, and bathrooms that were locked or out of order. Twenty percent of the parks got a failing grade, 59 or below. Parks in Manhattan and Staten Island fared the best.
Overall, the report card found much better conditions in the areas where the parks department has focused capital investment in recent years - playgrounds, sitting areas, and paths and sidewalks. Citywide, these features received an average score of 80 to 83 percent. The areas most in need of improvement were the active and passive recreation areas, as well as the bathrooms and drinking fountains. The average grade for bathrooms citywide was 48. The authors of the report noted, "In too many cases, existing bathrooms were either locked or desperately in need of maintenance and supplies."
The report card was compiled from a detailed survey of 181 of the city's 220 parks that are from one to 20 acres in size, conducted in the summer of 2002. (Parks not surveyed were either closed for renovation or lacking the park features on which the survey focused.) Trained staff from New Yorkers for Parks graded each park for cleanliness, maintenance, safety and structural integrity in eight "major service areas" - active recreational areas; passive recreational areas; playgrounds; sitting areas; bathrooms; drinking fountains; sidewalks, streets and paths; and how well the park is insulated from the surrounding environment. The group developed its rating system through focus groups with community members and park experts, aiming to assess park conditions from a user's perspective.
Some of the report card's conclusions differ from the parks department's highly regarded Parks Inspection Program, geared to improving park management and maximizing resources, and using somewhat different criteria. The department visits 200 parks a week, with 5,000 inspections annually, and finds 85 to 90 percent in acceptable condition. The department's web site posts the citywide results and will be adding park by park data this summer.
Regarding the park amenities that have improved and those most in need of attention, the parks department found the survey in line with their own assessments, according to a parks department spokesman. Deputy Commissioner for Operations Liam Kavanagh provided a statement that said, "Through our rigorous inspection program and direct experience, we know that the condition of our parks is strong citywide. We have identified and launched programs to address the same major service areas identified by New Yorkers for Parks in their report card." Among the programs under way to address these issues is the renovation of ball fields with artificial turf - so far, 21 such fields have been put in, with 11 more under construction, and 17 in the planning stages. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe has also launched a large horticultural initiative that includes training parks maintenance staff in gardening basics. The department's "Operation Relief" targets drinking fountains to fix them and make sure they are turned on.
New Yorkers for Parks conducted the survey to quantify the varying conditions at the smaller, low-profile parks, which are mostly dependent on public funding. The goal, said the group's spokesperson, Rowena Daly, "is to use these results to understand where our parks are failing and draw together public and private support to lift up neighborhood parks in greatest need."
Anne Schwartz is a freelance writer specializing in environmental issues. Previously, she was the editor of the Audubon Activist, a news journal for environmental action published by the National Audubon Society, and an editor at The New York Botanical Garden.
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Sounding off at First Run, New York City's first dog run. |
Mahatma Gandhi said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its animals. But in New York, another criterion may be how people treat each other when disputes over animals arise. The most contentious of such disputes center around dog runs:
• When the city first began constructing a playground on 42nd Street, a group of dog owners who opposed it sent a letter to the mayor calling the playground a "frivolous, costly, and ultimately wasteful construction."
• When dog owners at the Washington Square run became suspicious that a common water bowl may have spread a viral infection among dogs, they called in a veterinarian to examine the bowl. A pro-bowl contingent hired their own vet for a second opinion.
• At a community board meeting, a resident compared dogs in Stuyvesant Park to packs of wild dingoes in Australia who have been known to attack humans. The audience booed him.
An article in Governing Magazine, which tracks trends in local government, cites dog regulations among the most rancorous issues cities face today - on the same level as taxes.
The limited amount of park space in New York makes dog runs a particularly difficult issue, according to former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, who helped found the city's first one in 1990.
"It's simple," said Stern. "For dog owners, they are a pleasure. For others, they are a nuisance."
FIRST RUN
New York City's health code forbids animals from being off a leash, but for years dogs have been allowed to run free in certain parks. When incidents do occur - people or other dogs get bitten, flowers are dug up, or poop goes unscooped - the Parks Department or police often respond with a crackdown on leash law violators.
Following a series of complaints and a crack-down on free-range dogs in the early 1990's, former Commissioner Stern came up with a compromise that would allow for some off-leash hours at certain locations.
Thus the city's first dog run came into being - aptly named "First Run" - in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.
Today, there are 26 official dog runs in the city, according to the Parks Department. Central Park features some gathering places for dogs, but no official fenced-in runs.
Prospect Park in Brooklyn provides one of the largest and most lenient off leash areas in the city. But that's not enough for some Brooklynites. "There are many many owners who, for a variety of reasons, cannot let their dogs off leash in wide open spaces," writes Elizabeth Heeden, calling for an enclosed dog run in the park, on the Park Slope Gazette, one of Gotham Gazette's interactive community pages.
Proponents contend that in addition to creating a place for pets to play, dog runs are where New Yorkers can meet and build a sense of community. In this way, dog runs are not really about animals, according to Jeffrey Zahn of the New York Council of Dog Owners Group, which represents some 15,000 dog owners in the city; they are about people.
"A common mistake is that the issue is about the dog's rights, when it's not," said Zahn. "Dog owners are just one of many groups in the city competing for a limited amount of space."
Opponents counter that dog runs are a smelly, noisy, and poor use of the city's limited parkland.
"It's dusty, dirty, and they act like they own the place," said Laurel Harrington, a student who frequently studies in Washington Square Park. "I like dogs and they're cute, but of all of the things that happen in this park, the dogs are the only thing that makes it smell."
Even some dog owners are wary of dog runs because they fear for the safety of their pets. One of the most popular topics on the message boards of the website urbanhound.com, which touts itself as "the city dog's ultimate survival guide," is berating owners who cannot control their pets.
"Washington Square Dog Run has been getting too rough lately because of the people who either don't watch their dogs or correct bad behavior," one posting reads. "It's not always a safe place for small dogs to roam freely. I cannot risk my smallest dog's life there any longer."
Then there are those owners - who the responsible dog people argue give others a bad reputation - that ignore dog runs completely, because they do not think their companions should be fenced in.
In 1996, a woman was arrested in Central Park for letting her Bichons Frises, named Baby and Sugar, run off leash. After trying to run away, the woman, who was married to an Italian count, was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed to a bench for 45 minutes. "It's not like a herd of wild dogs," the countess reportedly said. "And even if it were it's not like they don't deserve a place to run."
CREATING A CANINE PARADISE
About a year ago, Olivia Lee had a seemingly simple goal: she wanted to start a dog run for her beagle-mutt Max.
So Lee, who had no experience in such a civic project, selected a rarely used handball court in a park on the corner of 35th Street and Second Avenue as her chosen spot. She founded a website, www.murrayhilldog.com and collected over 700 signatures of support. But when she took the idea to her local community board, Lee realized her battle was just beginning.
"One person said, `I don't know if you are new to the neighborhood, Missy, but your dog run is not going to happen,'" Lee recalled. "The person actually called me `Missy.'"
Gary Papush, of community board 6, said that the board always considers serious proposals, but that frankly the neighborhood is facing more pressing issues.
"If David Letterman did a top ten list of the major concerns of community board 6, dog runs wouldn't make the list," said Papush.
The encounter between Lee and her community board is a common, and by New York City standards, fairly tame example of the tensions that exist over dog runs. Getting just a few square feet of park space set aside for pets can take years, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a lot of political lobbying.
"It can take anywhere from six months to ten years to get a dog run," said Jeffrey Zahn of NYCDOG. "My advice is to keep a sense of humor and be patient."
Even though local community boards do not have the power to block a plan, they still often hold the key to whether a plan is approved or rejected. If a community board is in favor of a run, it has a much better chance of being approved by the Parks Department. (Click here for a step by step guide to starting a dog run.)
But it is not just founding a dog run that takes effort; it is maintaining one after it is approved. The city's dog runs operate like miniature governments with their own elected leaders, rules, and committees.
One of the most successful, and well respected, organizers in the city is Mary McInerney, who runs FIDO, the Fellowship in the Interest of Dogs and their Owners.
Five years ago, many city parks began putting an end to off leash hours. Prospect Park in Brooklyn has no dog runs, and so McInerney approached Tupper Thomas, the administrator of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and offered to self-police dog owners. Now each evening, hundreds of dogs and their people enjoy off-leash hours in several meadows. In return, the owners must abide by a strict set of rules including keeping their dogs under control, picking up waste, ensuring no holes are dug, and staying away from horses and ball fields. The fine for breaking any rule is $100.
McInerney's mission is not only to educate owners in "responsible supervision," but to be a kind of liaison to anti-dog New Yorkers.
"Some people are afraid," said McInerney. "A lot of people who live their lives in the city have had a limited experience with animals, whether it's dogs, cows, or ducks."
POWER TO THE PUPS
While dog owners may not enjoy the political power of real estate, labor unions, or racial voting blocs, dog owners do make their presence known in local politics.
In 2001, the New York Council of Dog Owners Groups (NYCDOG - pronounced "nice-dog") organized a rating system for local candidates to make sure they were educated on leash laws as well as rent regulations and tax policy.
Over 80 candidates responded - including three Democratic mayoral candidates Fernando Ferrer, Peter Vallone, and Mark Green. Michael Bloomberg received a rating of "In the Dog House" for his failure to answer.
At a recent forum on how to run for political office, West Side City Councilmember Gale Brewer spoke to a room of future candidates and told them that along with fundraising, organization, and a rolodex full of contacts, dog runs were an essential part of a successful campaign in New York City.
"I don't own a dog," said Brewer, "But I hit the dog runs so often that when the dog groups did their endorsements, I got four paws."
Do you have issues with dog runs in your neighborhood? Visit the Community Gazette homepage, find your neighborhood, and post a message under "COMMUNITY VIEWS – Ideas to Improve Your Neighborhood."
RELATED LINKS
• New York Pet Policies (Gotham Gazette)
• Urban Hound - City Dog Survival Guide
• Dog Lawyers
• Ratings of NYC'S Dog Runs
• New York Council of Dog Owner Groups
• Parks Department Dog Run Info
• Dog Licenses
RELATED ARTICLES
• Sidewalk Cafés
• Car-Free Parks
• It Happens Every Spring (Overview)
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A bicycle club enjoys the Central Park drive in 1895, four years before the arrival of the automobile. (Photo courtesy Transportation Alternatives.) |
In 1899, the newly-formed Automobile Club of America was granted the first permit to drive a car in Central Park. For the previous five decades, only pedestrians, bicycles, and horse-and-carriages had been allowed.
Many New Yorkers did not like cars in the park then – a 1906 letter to the New York Times bemoaned the "ugly, noisy, and evil-smelling" automobiles – and some still don't like it today.
Nearly a century and a half after they were built, some would like to see Central Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn returned to their original purpose.
"The parks were not designed for cars," said Aaron Naparstek of the organization Transportation Alternatives, which has been lobbying for car-free parks for the last 20 years. "Because of the curves, you can only see 40 to 50 feet in front of you, which makes driving dangerous."
There have been accidents in the past. A woman cyclist was struck and killed by a van in Prospect Park in 1997. Two people were hit in Central Park in 1998.
Both Central Park and Prospect Park already have some car-free hours. Automobiles use the drives during morning and evening rush hours during the summer. (See blue box for car-free hours)
But advocates want to ban cars 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Opponents argue that banning cars from the parks completely would actually make the city less livable. Automobiles would be forced onto side streets, creating havoc for drivers and the surrounding neighborhoods.
"I simply don't see a compelling public need that justifies displacing thousands of cars into the surround area," argued Alvin Berk of Brooklyn's community board 14.
THE POLITICS OF CAR FREE PARKS
Support for car free parks has been growing in recent years. Environmental groups, running clubs, some former transportation commissioners, and the majority of the City Council members that represent the neighborhoods adjacent to both Central Park and Prospect Park are in favor of the idea.
But victories are still hard to achieve and even those are small. This winter the city agreed to close Prospect Park to cars for a few more hours a week as a trial period.
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The major groups standing in the way, advocates say, are the mayor and Department of Transportation and the Parks Department.
"The Department of Transportation looks at those parks and sees unused road capacity," said Naparstek.
The city argues that it is balancing the needs of all New Yorkers with a compromise of car and pedestrian only hours.
"We want to balance the various needs of the residents so everyone can benefit," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
Until the mayor or the borough presidents hear enough outcry, there is little incentive for the parks to change their policies. And some of the most outspoken opposition comes from neighborhood residents or those who commute to work or school through the park areas.
Alvin Berk of community board 14 says residents fear not only more traffic, but also increases in accidents, higher exhaust emission in neighborhoods, and a reduced quality of life.
"It's not just a matter of inconveniencing drivers," said Berk. "Our concern is for the safety, well being, and health of residents."
BATTLES IN THE STREETS
Passions of drivers and pedestrians can sometimes run high.
During car-free hours in Prospect Park, some motorists have become so incensed, that they climb out of their cars, move the barricades blocking the entrance, and keep on going. Earlier this year, the park had to ask the 78th police precinct to step up enforcement.
And in their efforts to rid parks of cars, activists sometimes resort to environmental guerrilla tactics to battle their 3,000 pound steel enemies.
In recent years, activists armed with plants and banners erected a human barricade across Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park. Or when a cyclist is killed, an outline of a body is often spray-painted on the city street.
And each month, bicyclists gather for what they call Critical Mass to ride as a group through the city streets, boxing in cars, and blocking intersections to protest for pedestrian rights. At times, the groups grow to include hundreds of cyclists, who will stop in the middle of a major intersection, lift their bikes into the air and chant slogans like "No More Cars!" while motorists honk their horns and curse.
Do you have issues with cars in your parks? Visit the Community Gazette homepage, find your neighborhood, and post a message under "COMMUNITY VIEWS – Ideas to Improve Your Neighborhood."
RELATED ARTICLES
• Dog Runs
• Sidewalk Cafés
• It Happens Every Spring (Overview)