“People need green open spaces to go; when they are close they use them. But if the greens are more than 3 minutes away, the distance overwhelms the need… This problem can only be solved if hundreds of small parks-or greens are scattered so widely...that every household...is within three minutes walk of the nearest one.” -
So how do we create hundreds of small parks in Manhattan? It can't be done through our current centralized parks building model. First off city parks cost million of dollars to create. A recent NY Post article showed several playgrounds being build at a cost of $3.8 million and up. Just renovating the Matthews Palmer playground in Hell's Kitchen will cost $1.8 million dollars. And even if we had the funds there simply isn't enough city owned open space in Manhattan to do so. However scores of "3 minute parks" can be created in a community by using a variety of alternative open space creation techniques.
Creating Open Space where no special site is required
Standardized street furniture can be placed on sidewalks and in car parking spot.
Streets and Sidewalks
Streets make up approximately 25% of the City's land area and yet,
outside of parks there are few places to sit, rest, socialize, and to
enjoy public life. NYC DOTHere's how to reclaim streets and sidewalks as parkland...
Sidewalk Park Benches
The Desmond Tutu center garden is private property generally open to hotel guests only. Adding a bench in front of Desmond Tu Tu Garden creates a spot on public property to relax and enjoy a view of the private garden.
"They (seniors)care about benches, trees, gardens and open space closest to where they live. Big parks are for occasional visits in most cases."-Creating a Age-Friendly New York, One Neighborhood at a Time
Through NYC's Citybench program Chelsea has added 18 benches in locations that are useful to our seniors.
As I walked past the new Moonstruck diner on 9th Ave, I noticed an older woman walking in the opposite direction. I thought "here's a person that can use this bench" Sure enough she and her companion had a seat there.
Click here to see all of Chelsea's Citibenches
Parklets: Reclaiming Parking Spots as Parks
A parklet is a small space serving as an extension of the sidewalk to provide amenities and green space for people using the street...Parklets are intended for people. Parklets offer a place to stop, to sit, and to rest while taking in the activities of the street. Wikipedia
This parklet that will be placed on 41st Between 6th and 7th Avenues, transforms several parking spots into outdoor seating.
Parklets transform several parking spaces for cars into parking spaces for people. Cost $10,000-$30,000 each.
At 30 W 22rd Street, the Van Alen Institute has proposed a parklet in front of their bookstore.This has been approved and will hopefully be in operation Spring 2014
... we hope to advance the Street Seat program by partnering with DOT to use our installation as a prototype to help pioneer innovative strategies for engaging the public, while reducing operating expenses and simplifying installation for future Street Seat sponsors—and elevate the profile of this exciting city initiative. link
Along with the recent installation of 10 Citibenches (white dots below) installing more parklets like the Van Alen Parklet (red pin below)are a key element in the creation of an Age-friendly Midtown South.
Passive Recreation Parklets
Active Recreation parklet
Los Angeles has installed the nations first active recreation parklet. It includes foosball, fitness equipmen and seat swings.If the first parklets that LA has installed work out, the city expects to install hundreds of them.
NYC now has just installed over 300 hundred "unintentional" parklets. Here's how to turn them into intentional parklets...
Sharing Citibike Bike Parking with People Parking
Actually our Citibike stations are currently being shared in an "off-label" fashion. Currently the Citibike docks are being used as a place to lean on. And people are sitting on the bikes. These are excellent "off label" uses of the Citibike stations. However these "off label" uses are not optimal for the comfort of the people sitting/leaning. And these off label uses are not safe for older people.
Two leaners and one sitter
Here's a way to add seating to the docks that is optimum for people...
In between the bike's there's actually enough room to place a real seat as I did here.
and here's a woman sitting in the space
Adding seating to Bikeshare station would initially create up to 300 street seats locations., 600 when the system reaches its next expansion. And possibly thousands if the system is expanded throughout the 5 boroughs.
Getting to the Three Minute Park Part 2: Adding new functionality to Citybike Docking Stations
Parklets and sidewalk park benches can be implemented almost anywhere, quickly, and at at minimal cost. But they have limitations of capacity and functions that they are able to offer. To meet those needs a host of site specific building blocks are available.
Site Specific Open Space Building Blocks
Street Plazas
Turning unused roadway space into street plazas areas is a great idea.
Turning unused roadway space into street plazas areas is a great idea.
Dyer Triangle Community Plaza
Most of Chelsea is on the grid system and has very few locations that can be transformed into plazas.
Sidewalk Parks
Passive
Public Seating and Garden integrated into sidewalk in front of FIT dorm on West 27th St
Passive
Public Seating and Garden integrated into sidewalk in front of FIT dorm on West 27th St
link
Here's a dead avenue block in Hell's Kitchen on 39th St and 10th Ave that has potential for a sidewalk park.
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| On weekends the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market occurs around the corner from here |
and Here's a Chelsea space that has potential for a sidewalk park
Con Ed Community Space Proposal 18th Street @ 7th Avenue
Active
Sidewalk in China with active recreation equipment.
The sidewalk shown here is wider than our sidewalks. What that means is that the types of of active recreation equipment we could install would need to be more compact then those used in China.
Sidewalk Active recreation parks
Sky Parks
The Highline may be the worlds best known SkyParks. there are other ways to create parks up in the Sky.
Garage Sky Parks
At the Columbus Condominium the Lotus Garden is on the roof of the garage parking. It is open to garden members all the time, and the public on Sunday afternoons.
At the Columbus Condominium the Lotus Garden is on the roof of the garage parking. It is open to garden members all the time, and the public on Sunday afternoons.
Rooftop SkyParks
link
Green Roof Vancouver Public Library
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| 80/20 Chelsea Park at 260 W 26th with private outdoor garden |
Elliott Chelsea Affordable housing built with Private rooftop terrace
How about we start building affordable housing with PUBLIC roof open space access. Access doesn't have to be for everyone. If a playground is built on a rooftop, access would be for kids and their parents only. If a community garden, it would be for people who maintain the garden, plus limited access for others.
Indoor Parks in Affordable Housing
This is a map of all the Public Indoor spaces in and around Chelsea that are open to everyone, and cost nothing to use. . They are all libraries.
Many outdoor recreation spaces are only used when the weather is good. We need more indoor spaces. When building affordable housing, we give a great deal to the people getting the housing, but tend to create private recreation spaces for the residents of the housing, rather then creating public spaces for the benefit of all. I'd like to suggest when we build affordable housing in Chelsea we have a great opportunity to create the pubic indoor recreation spaces that Chelsea lacks.
Indoor park in Nolita
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| Rubenstein Atrium Lincoln center |
Pavement into Parks
Under the Greenstreets program, Parks has converted thousands of unused concrete and striped islands formed by the city’s intersecting streets into leafy, ‘pint-sized’ parks.A lot of NYC Greenstreets don't have benches here's one that has had benches
This Greenstreets location had no seating, I requested a Citybench be placed here. Now we have seating and free Wi-Fi access at this spot . Now it could use more greenery. I could see this spot transformed into a Community garden worked on by either the students at the School of Visual Arts on this block, and/or workers in the Google building on the next block.
Schoolyards into Playgrounds
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This unused space at PS11 on 20th St can become a playground. The Imagination Playground blocks shown below would be one way to do this |
PS 11 in Chelsea was rented on weekends to a Church group. I would see church members play basketball there. Hundreds of schoolyards are in the Schoolyards into Playgrounds program. This yard is not in the program. why not? Alternatively if the school was rented to a church, I see no reason that the PS11 schoolyard can't be rented to the city as a playground after school and on weekends.
Prior to 1966 the PS11 schoolyard was the location of private housing. In arguing for the razing of the houses the schools principal Mr Goldberg said "the community too needs a park area" There are two areas in PS 11 that can become public parks, one of which had been promised to be so almost 50 years ago.
The Museum Lab School has just gotten a active recreation park renovation. Looking at similar schoolyard renovation contracts I estimate this renovation cost well over a million dollars. On weekends it is rented to private groups. How about instead renting it to the city on weekends to keep it open for the community, rather then a private group.
Privately Owned Public Spaces: NYC Secret Parks
2012 ParkChelsea Map reveals Chelsea's “Secret Parks”
“While
researching our 2012 map update we located a veritable treasure
trove of open space opportunities that we realized most Chelsea
residents had no idea existed. “ says Arnold Bob, better known as Ranger Bob, Park Chelsea’s
Parks Commissioner. “ Most of these spaces are part of the NYC
Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) program, where building owners
are given zoning variances in return for creating public spaces.
However, several factors have conspired to make these spaces
relatively invisible to their intended users.
Madison Belvedere, Privately owned public space 28th St between 5th and Madison Ave.
In a neighborhood with little green space this POPS is barely used.I talked with some black car drivers who were standing on the street in front of it. When asked why they didn't use it they said because it was private space. There is a sign saying that it is a public space,but it's possible most people don't notice it.
In a neighborhood with little green space this POPS is barely used.I talked with some black car drivers who were standing on the street in front of it. When asked why they didn't use it they said because it was private space. There is a sign saying that it is a public space,but it's possible most people don't notice it.
POPS at 230 27th St.
No Signage reveals it is a Public space
No Signage reveals it is a Public space
In a study on the upper east side it was found that of 76 POPS, 65 lacked explanatory signs telling the public about their right to use the space. link
This sign in the times square area shouts that the seating at this space is FREE & OPEN
See Community advertising
Pops: Privately Owned Public Spaces-NYC's Secret parks
