THE IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON UNDER-SERVED NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY

Institution:

SUNY University at Buffalo

Instructor: Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah

Semester: Fall 2020

The objective of this course was to construct a research paper on a contemporary topic in urban planning. Since this is the first time the course was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was only natural to uncover the how much of an impact it had on the field.

The paper examined park access during the height of the pandemic - when former governor Andrew Cuomo closed off playgrounds in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In many minority neighborhoods, these playgrounds were their only access to public spaces. Many residents had no problem visiting their nearby public space, since they weren’t tethered to a playground. This examination was then broken down by race to determine if the lack of park access Tools used were Python 3, Sidewalk Widths NYC, and ParkServe by the Trust For Public Land.

Comparison between Downtown Brooklyn and Rosedale, Queens. A unique metric used in this research are the widths of the sidewalk, which could facilitate social distancing. Therefore, one recommendation put forth by the paper would be to expand New York City’s Open Streets initiative, especially in low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Another metric used was proximity to parks, since they remained opened during the playground closure. The red and orange zones designate areas that are not within a 10-minute walking distance from a park. This finding bolsters the recommendation that the Open Streets initiative should be expanded for minority residents.

One finding is that larger parks were mostly unaffected by the city-mandated shutdown of parks and playgrounds, yet they were the most crowded public spaces in the city. The reason for this irony is speculative, although it is safe to assume that due to the closures of smaller parks nearby, larger parks were unaffected, becoming a funnel for resident to go to. As previously mentioned, this became dangerous as social distancing became more difficult to enforce due to the high volume of people.

Another finding is that wealthy communities seems to have more sidewalks that are wide enough for social distancing, while AfricanAmerican communities have almost none. The parks in these two contrasting neighborhoods are no exception. Hispanic communities do have sidewalks that are acceptable for social distancing, but they are much more spread out across the neighborhood than African American communities. This is just one of the many examples of systemic racism that African-Americans have to endure.