Environmental Science and Technology of NYC

University Woods Park: A Municipally Protected Disaster

University Woods Park is located in the University Heights neighborhood in the Bronx. This area is the highest natural elevation in all five boroughs and was used as a strategic location for British forts during the Revolutionary War. The park offers an impressive view of Upper Manhattan, the Hudson River, and the New Jersey Palisades. University Woods gets its name from New York University, which used to have its campus in the neighborhood. In 1973, NYU moved back to Greenwich Village and sold the land to New York City. With only the City as its caretaker, the park began its dissent into disrepair. By 2005, University Woods officially became the worst park in the city.

“University Woods Park is infamous for its deteriorated condition. Many of the University Heights residents did not even think that the woody area was technically a park. Brandy Cochrane said, “I was shocked. I had been living there for four years and didn’t know it was a park.”‘

(Sgobbo, Rob. “A Brighter Future for University Woods?” Mount Hope Monitor 5 November 2008.)

Are park-goers usually looking for trash and terror, or for fun and freedom? Google Images.

“Because of its reputation, most people are scared to enter the park.”
(Williams, Timothy. “Signs of Life At Neglected Bronx Park.” New York Times 12 July 2008.

New York City Parks Department data shows that University Woods has failed 19 of its 28 inspections since 2003. (http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/idlewildpark/inspections) The amount of litter and deterioration has caused the park to receive ratings of unacceptable in the categories of cleanliness and overall condition. “Hypodermic needles, used condoms, needle cleaning kits and wrappers for “Savage” and “TKO” brands of heroin”, piles of feces, and animal bones resembling Santeria ritual sacrifices have all been reported as regular litter in University Woods. (Williams, Timothy. “Parks Even the Parks Department Won’t Claim.” New York Times 6 July 2005.) Crimes such as prostitution and drug-use as well as homeless encampments are rampant in the park.  Consequently, residents stay far away from the park because of its negative reputation.

New Yorkers For Parks, a park advocacy group that surveys and rates parks, and other recreation areas, “awarded the park just 6 points out of 100, the lowest mark for a park recorded by the organization in its three years of doing the surveys” (Williams, Timothy. “Signs of Life At Neglected Bronx Park.” New York Times 12 July 2008.)

An over-view of the madness. . .

The City has not maintained University Woods. “The parks department had at some point removed the park’s benches, leaving behind rivet holes in the ground. There were no garbage cans or lighting…. its stairs and stone walls are badly cracked, and its hand rails are listing.” (Williams, Timothy. “Signs of Life At Neglected Bronx Park.” New York Times 12 July 2008.) The foliage and flora of the park is overgrown and full of invasive species. Many of the University Heights residents did not even know that the woody area was technically a park since three of the five entrances are closed. New Yorkers For Parks, a park advocacy group that surveys and rates parks, and other recreation areas, “awarded the park just 6 points out of 100, the lowest mark for a park recorded by the organization in its three years of doing the surveys” (Williams, Timothy. “Signs of Life At Neglected Bronx Park.” New York Times 12 July 2008.) When asked about University Woods in reference to the study, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said, “that park is not a park.”

Though only 3.306 acres, this park is ill maintained. “The paths are unkempt. There are no benches, bathrooms, or water fountains… Daily, garbage is left along the edges of the park” (Fuchs, Greg. “University Woods: Restore a Discarded Treasure.” Mount Hope Monitor 18 July 2007)

Brandy Cochrane founded the group, Friends of the Woods, in the summer of 2006 in order to restore the park and increase community involvement. In October 2006, she arranged the first “Its My Park Day” for University Woods with the help of the Parks Department. Since then the group has had many events in the park including various park clean-ups. Their hard work and advocacy has garnered attention from the Parks Department, community leaders and Mayor Bloomberg.

Bloomberg was able to have “the city set aside $500,000 for additional capital work for the park in the recently approved municipal budget.” (Williams, Timothy. “Signs of Life At Neglected Bronx Park.” New York Times 12 July 2008.)

In 2008, Friends of the Woods “received a grant from Partnership for Parks, a joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the Parks Department” (Sgobbo, Rob. “A Brighter Future for University Woods?” Mount Hope Monitor 5 November 2008.) This money is being used to slowly bring University Woods from the city’s worst park to one of the best with the help of the community. The Parks Department has even sent over some workers to repair some of the damaged walls and plant new trees, making this the first capital project in University Woods in over 10 years.

Residents of University Heights don’t bat an eyelash at trash on the ground. What does this say about their standing in New York City?  Google Images.

Why is that Parks Commissioner Benepe can consider University Woods not a park?

It may have to do with the demography of the population who want to use the park. The neighborhood of University Heights is struggling. Over 60% of the residents’ income qualified them as poor or struggling in relation to the poverty line. Over 92% of the housing units are renter occupied. The unemployment rate hovers around 20%. This is consistent with the level of education in the neighborhood. 50% of the residents have less than a high school education. The racial mixture of University Heights is very different from the racially homogeneous nature of more wealthy districts. The majority of the neighborhood is Hispanic or Latino, particularly Puerto Rican. Only about 20% of the population is white. “The neighborhood has one of the largest concentrations of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees in the five boroughs” (Beyer, Gregory. “University Heights, The Bronx.” New York Times 16 July 2010.) This area is unlike the areas that the Parks Department likes to work with. Although they may not admit it, the money and support makes it clear that the Parks Department tries not to cater to this type clientele.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe once said, “that park is not a park,” in reference to University Woods. (Williams, Timothy. “Parks Even the Parks Department Won’t Claim.” New York Times 6 July 2005.)

The parks that are consistently rated the best in the city have big, private “friend” groups who constantly advocate on behalf of the park and contribute financially to its maintenance and general up-keep. The neighborhoods around these parks such as Central Park, Bryant Park and Prospect Park, are affluent and tend to be mostly white. The Parks Department has allowed the majority of its money to fund the buildings of new beautiful parks in more prosperous neighborhoods instead of restoring the parks in underprivileged districts. Neighborhoods like University Heights are not high on the City’s priority list. University Woods does not have any rich, influential contributors; it only has its community. Now Brandy Cochrane can only sit and wait, hoping that “the Parks Department will eventually invest a significant sum of money – perhaps $3 million” (Sgobbo, Rob. “A Brighter Future for University Woods?” Mount Hope Monitor 5 November 2008), so that University Woods can be restored to its former glory.

But why is her wait so prolonged? When new parks are being built for millions of dollars right now in other, more successful neighborhoods?

Something isn't right here.