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NYC Parks Under Bloomberg

NYC Parks Under Bloomberg. And the Perils of Privatization. 1961 Zoning Resolution. Overcrowded-ness became a problem since the last Zoning Resolution of 1916. Incentive zoning is introduced

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NYC Parks Under Bloomberg

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  1. NYC Parks Under Bloomberg And the Perils of Privatization

  2. 1961 Zoning Resolution • Overcrowded-ness became a problem since the last Zoning Resolution of 1916. • Incentive zoning is introduced • Your business will get more space and benefits if you dedicate some of your land to being a public space. Since 1961, 3.5 million square feet of public spaces have been produced with these incentives! Awesome!

  3. This public space includes over 520 parks, plazas, arcades, etc. • Of these 3.5 million square feet of public space: • 16% are actively used as regional destination and gathering spaces, • 21% are good for a brief rest, • 18% are circulation related • 4% are being renovated or constructed • 41% is of marginal utility.

  4. Examples of Privately Owned Parks • Zuccotti Park, home of OWS Protests • Privately owned by Brookfield Properties • Brookfield makes the rules • Open 24/7 (Parks Dept. parks have a curfew) • Enforcement of rules is their responsibility- call police if they can’t control it

  5. High Line Park in Chelsea, Manhattan • Owned by The City of New York, but also more than 20 private property owners- “Friends of the High Line” (source: highline.org) • Created with the help of celeb endorsements and $44 million in donations. • This “public” park had caps on visitor attendance, adjacent real estate development, and a dense police presence. (source: nymag.com)

  6. And the latest to be privatized…. Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, as of last month, according to Huffington Post. It is now managed by a private Conservancy.

  7. Was it ever really public? Even as a public park, Washington Park is surrounded by NYU buildings. Students consider the park their “campus” NYU uses the famous arch in the park in its brochures all the time. (huffingtonpost.com) Public, yes, but the sentiment is private.

  8. Pros and Cons of Privatization • Pros: • More funding for things in parks that the Parks Department can’t afford (more sources of income, e.g. private donations) • More flexible rules (e.g. no curfew) • A wealth of private enterprise = a wealth of incentive-based public space. Better than no space, right?

  9. Cons of Privatization • Privately owned parks can fall into disrepair too. • Increased chance of for-profit development, and thus loss of parkland (a free park vs. a stadium that can make millions… take your pick) • e.g. The new Yankee Stadium’s construction eliminated Macombs Dam Park and half of John Mullaly Park. (keep in mind this part of the Bronx had some of the highest asthma rates in the city). • Eight “piecemeal” parks were constructed in their place. Unequal exchange of land in incentives.

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