As far as I can tell except for special events programming New York City's Flatiron District offers no active recreation for its youth, adult and senior residents, nor any special needs recreation for any of its residents, workers or visitors.
1-Madison Square Park- Seating, Art, Playground, Dog Run , Food Recreation, Rest Room
2-Worth Square Park-Seating, Food Recreation
3-41 Madison Ave POPS-Seating, Food Recreation
4-Madison Green POPS-Seating
5-Flatiron Plaza North-Seating, WiFi Art Recreation, Food Recreation
6-Flatiron Plaza South-Art Recreation WiFi, Seating Food Recreation
Adjacent to Public Spaces:Food Recreation (7)
Totals:
Food Recreation:12
Seating-6
Art Recreation 3
Dog Run 1
Wi-Fi 2
Doggy Active Recreation 1
Children (under about 7 years old) Active Recreation 1
Children (over about 7 years old) Active Recreation 0
Youth Active Recreation 0
Adult Active Recreation 0
Senior Active Recreation 0
Special Needs Active Recreation 0
Children (under about 7 years old) Active Recreation 1
Children (over about 7 years old) Active Recreation 0
Youth Active Recreation 0
Adult Active Recreation 0
Senior Active Recreation 0
Special Needs Active Recreation 0
Other then playgrounds for dogs and very young children there is not much in the way of active recreation offering in Community Board 5's Flatiron District. According to the Flatiron Partnership 250,000 people live in the Flatiron
Over 250,000 people, that's a lot of people. Whose responsibility is it to offer youth, adult, senior , active recreation for the Flatiron District? The current answer seems to be the parks of community boards 4 and 6. Unfortunately...
we have an obesity crisis....
A new report reveals staggering statistics about the extent to which the obesity epidemic is robbing Americans of their health and longevity. Columbia University and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examined the real impact of obesity on death rates.1
The study found that nearly one in five US deaths is associated with obesity, which is more than three times higher than previous estimates. link
“Active
park users
were
less likely to be overweight
than those who had longer park visits and either used the park for
passive activities
or did not use the park at all “ link”
New York City comes in 24th out of 50 metropolitan areas on the 2014 American Fitness Index, a report released by the American College of Sports Medicine.NY Post
Image of a Community Board 5 Park that offer only food as recreation New York City comes in 24th out of 50 metropolitan areas on the 2014 American Fitness Index, a report released by the American College of Sports Medicine.NY Post
...it it does not seem helpful for Flatiron public spaces to ...
-offer easy access to on premise "food recreation"
while
making public space users "bring your own bottle" for active recreation in those same spaces
-or asking them go to CB4/6 for active recreation
(above) "Bring Your Own Bottle" Active Recreation area in Madison Square Park
Total participants active recreation =2
Total participants active recreation =2
(Below) adjacent "available on demand" Shake Shack "Food Recreation" area,
Total participants food recreation= A LOT
Total participants food recreation= A LOT
You don't have to bring your own fork to a restaurant.
You do have to bring your own recreation equipment to a park
One
playground leader said that parks were appropriately called urban
“breathing spaces” because “breathing was about all one was
permitted to do in them” (Boyer, pp. 244-245). .
(page 30
link)
“We might forget that parks are supposed to be for play. Striking sculptures...are nice to look at but they take up valuable picnic and catch-playing real estate” link
“The
natural environment of a park is not enough to attract some elderly
uses,.” People
places
-Madison Square Park is a passive recreation park, with a lot of seating. The addition of Flatiron Plaza created an adjacent passive recreation park with still more seating.Worth Square Park is used for... more social seating. I think social seating is really great, but having all this social seating does nothing to meet CB5 community active recreation needs. .
Following are several ways to add active /activities recreation to the Flatiron District so as to put Active Recreation offerings on a more equal footing with food recreation offerings.
Scenarios
MSP, Parks Department, and Flatiron Partnership ,cooperate and jointly take responsibility for Flatiron District active recreation needs.
Transform Worth Square Park into CB5's first adult active recreation park
-Add a staffed active recreation parkhouse to Flatiron Plaza, jointly run and staffed by MSP, the Flatiron Partnership and NYC Parks Department.
-Create dedicated active recreation areas in Madison Square Park and Flatiron Plaza
This scenario has all 3 major open space providers in the Flatiron district share responsibility for active recreation.
Scenario 2 : Worth Square Playspace
NYC Parks Department takes sole responsibility for Flatiron District active recreation needs.
Transform Worth Square Park into CB5's first fixed equipment adult, youth, senior active recreation park with some flexible options recreation also.
Scenario 3: Broadway Playspace
Transform Broadway in Flatiron from a place for cars to a place for people. Add area to either scenario 1 or 2.
Scenario 4 Community Board 4 and 6 Playspace
Community boards 4 and 6 continue to take responsibility for Flatiron district youth, adult, senior active recreation needs
No one takes responsibility for inclusive and special needs recreation in CB5's outdoor spaces.
Scenarios 5
Flatiron Broadway Sales Mall
More Flatiron Social Seating and Commercial Recreation Space
Transform Broadway in Flatiron from a place for cars to a place for people.Add area to Scenario 4
Broadway at Flatiron transformed into
location for more Food Recreation offerings
an area for Holiday Shopping Kiosks and
more junk marketing campaigns
Scenario 6, 7
?
Details
Scenario 1
Everybody Cooperates
“I am a planner,” he said. “And as a planner, I look at parks very differently. Parks do not sit in isolation. -Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner
Cooperation Examples
Gameon! Downtown Alliance -A joint games and activities series including spaces managed by Parks Department Parks, DOT Plazas, and City Planning Privately owned Public Spaces
.The programming series is entitled Game On!, and will present a variety of games and activities in Water Street’s public spaces. The goal of the programs is to activate these spaces to encourage the nearby commercial and residential tenant populations to utilize these areas in new, lively and fun ways. Everything from Nok Hockey and Foosball tables, giant Connect Four games, Battleship board games, traditional chalk games like hopscotch, shuffleboard and mini golf will be available.
.The programming series is entitled Game On!, and will present a variety of games and activities in Water Street’s public spaces. The goal of the programs is to activate these spaces to encourage the nearby commercial and residential tenant populations to utilize these areas in new, lively and fun ways. Everything from Nok Hockey and Foosball tables, giant Connect Four games, Battleship board games, traditional chalk games like hopscotch, shuffleboard and mini golf will be available.
Capital Space in Washington DC gets all the public space entities in Washington planning together to cohesively plans for Washington DC's public space needs . By having all open space stewards in Washington plan jointly a far more cohesive public space plan arises.
Currently there is no central planning for CB5 open spaces, so practically everybody had made the decision to offer food as recreation, and practially nobody has offered to addess active recreation needs. As far as I can tell Community board 5 Parks committee currently just reacts to what area public spaces come tom it with, as opposed to trying to guide area open spaces to make sure everybodys recreation needs are met, not just the people who want to sit and eat.
Here's a few thoughts on looking at the larger picture of recreation in CB5
Community boards 4 and 6 offer Basketball, Baseball and handball courts to CB5 residents. What does CB5 offer in return?
At Bryant Park they offer staffed areas offering ping pong, board games, social seating , and art
At Madison Square Park they offer social seating, dog run
At Union Square Park thet offer Greenmarket, Dog run
The parks department can't afford staffed facilities i CB4 and 6, Bryant Park does one of the best jobs of offering staffed facilities central to residents of 4, 5 and 6 .Flatiron Playspace and Union Square Park can by offeing parkhouses, offer staffed recreation as Bryant Park does, but as staffed parkhouse facilities do this at an affordable price..
By offering multi generational inclusive recreation offerings, these locations can become the regional inclusive playspaces for CB 4, 5 and 6
A Cooperative effort between Flatiron District Public spaces:
Flatiron Partnership
Madison Square Park
Worth Square Park
Shared Parkhouse
This scenario revolves a parkhouse that lend recreation equipment being shared by MSP, WSP and Flatiron Partnership. Here is an example of such a parkhouse at Rockefeller Park ina NYS Park in Battery Park City.
At the Rockefeller parkgoers can go up to its window and borrow active and activities recreation equipment for all ages and many abilities
A temporary "Something for Everyone" "Library model" parkhouse where park goers of all ages and abilities can borrow equipment, can be installed for next season., so as to get some feedback on how to do one right. A permanent one should be part of the Flatiron Plaza redesign and be located so as to serve Flatiron Plaza, Madison Square Park and Worth Square Park . Talking to people, the issue of staffing money came up. To minimize cost, funding of staff and equipment can be shared by the 3 entities. .
One location for the parkhouse might be an underutilized location of northern Flatiron Plaza.
I did in person surveys of Midtown area open space users a while back
Here are some of the results...
Most requested activities
Piano
New York Times
Ping pong,
Exercise Bikes
Chess
Jump Rope,
Hula Hoop
Foosball
Wall Street Journal
Pool Table
Air Hockey
Gian Screen TV
Horse Shoes
Scrabble
Board Games
Comic Books
Rocking Chairs
Swing Seats
Nok Hockey
Squeeze Balls
Daily News
Corn Hole
Power Bands
Least Requested activities
Have it Your Way Recreation
Have it Your Way Recreation
Manhattans First Inclusive Recreation Playspace for ALL ages and abilities
Currently there are no inclusive playspaces in CB5. By lending equipment for both the able and disabled this parkhouse would allow CB5 to create the midtowns areas first inclusive playspace for all ages and abilities.
Not so special special needs equipment
As it turns out much "special needs” recreation equipment need
not be special, they
just
need to be
available . For example puppets and Lego for autism, a hula hoop for the blind , Parkinson disease, and stroke victims , Bilibo for Downs Syndrome, horse shoes for senior, reading material for people in wheelchairs, virtual reality for people of very limited movement ability. The parkhouse will offer equipment like this. Special designed special needs recreation equipment
Specially designed equipment for a wide range of special needs can be purchased as requested and be offered at the parkhouse.
Through the use of the Library model of inclusive recreation, CB5 could fastrack the creation of CB5's first park offering special needs recreation for all CB5 residents.
The parkhouse would serve...
-Worth Square Park Section
Worth Square Park is .27 acres (11761 feet) square feet.It could be enlarged by incorporating space from adjacent Flatiron Plaza sliver areas.
Rather then have Worth Square Park continue as simply more social seating for Flatiron Plaza , or be transformed into a fixed equipment playground. , how about it becomes a full time flexible "have it your way" activities playspace that is jointly programmed by NYC Parks Department and community.members/groups.
Worth Street Park Community Garden
I know of no community gardens in the Flatiron area (or for that matter anywhere in Community board 5) . Worth Square parks planting area can become CB5's first community garden.
Worth Street Park Community Outdoor Art Gallery
Madison Square Park has a art program that offers parkgoers the ability to view fine art produced by artists from around the country and the world. . Flatiron Partnership also offers professional art exhibits at times. Neither of these is particularly neighborhood oriented. The Worth Square Park's fence , could be used for a year round community art gallery, with ever changing exhibits as chosen by people who live and work around the area.
FIT is located a few blocks from Worth Street Park (26th St and 7th Ave) . I talked with FIT students and they are interested to have a neighborhood public space to exhibit their works..
Worth Square Park Sidewalk
. It can have embedded Hopscotch, skully, a maze ,and other sidewalk activities build into the sidewalk.
...chalk art too!
link
Bird Feeders for Readers- Worth Square Park Reading Room
A portable Reading room in Worth Square Park would be keeping with the flexible equipment idea.
Worth Square Storage Room
This can function as a storage room for larger equipment.
.
Worth Square Park Movable Parts Play-Recreation for all Ages and abilities
The current Madison Square Park Playground seems to be oriented towards very young children, , Worth Square Park can serve older kids, adults and seniors with loose parts, and movable equipment play.
Importance of Loose parts...
RMIT University researcher Brendon Hyndman found the children were more inclusive when they played with everyday objects, compared to times when they used conventional playgrounds.
..
A recent study of daycare-center playgrounds found that when kids had access to items like balls, hula hoops, and jump ropes, they were more active than when they had only stationary structures to play on... Typical playground equipment does help develop certain motor skills, like climbing," says study coauthor Dianne Ward, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "But kids play harder and longer when they have more portable playthings around."
link
Looose Play-Lego at the High Line
Kids Simpson Chess set.....
Hula Hoops and Jump ropes , and other items can be borrowed from the parkhouse and used here too
Nok hockey, Foosball and possibly ping pong tables can be stored in the Worth Street Park storage room (or Flatiron Playspace parkhouse) and setup at Worth Street Park.
Madison Square Park and Flatiron Partnership Sections
Proposed Dedicated On Demand Recreation Areas
Madison Square Park Family Recreation Area
Portable Nok
Hockey, foosball, pool table, air hockey and other easily movable
sports equipment can be stored in the Flatiron Playspace parkhouse, The play area could be at the existing underutilized gravel area adjacent to Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (can be pre-emptied by special events)
With the installation of a parkhouse, family friendly active and activities recreation options could flourish in the Flatiron Playspace, as they have in Rockefeller Park. .
Family friendly board game playing on the Rockefeller Park Plaza
Other equipment to borrow from the parkhouse for use in the MSP Family playspace include ...
Virtual Workout Trainer can be borrowed from the Parkhouse and use in the play area
Any public space that offers WiFi access will in the future have the potential to be a best active recreation park here's why
. TheFlatiron Playspace parkhouse can lend VR Workou headsets, your own personal trainer, at a price both you and the park can afford
Madison Square Park Kids Loose Parts Play Area
It will be years before a new childrens play area is built in Madison Square Park. Until then, there is an area just across from the childrens playground that can be used as a full time unsupervised childens free play area.. I brought a petition to the playground about this concept, and most of the nannies and parents I spoke to signed the petition.
Rockefeller Park has such an area, which is unsupervised, As far as I know the grassy area at Rockefeller Park is available 7 days a week.
To mitigate any concerns MSP has over their grass, the loose parts play area can rotate between areas, such as, Sparrow and Cherry so as to allow the grass to rest. Equipment for all areas will be available from the Flatiron Playspace parkhouse.
Flatiron Plaza Table Game Area
In most locations, Citybikes are stored in a linear fashion. The Flatiron Plaza North Citybike island area would be far more valuable as playspace. Move the bikes elsewhere to a street or sidewalk. , One though for the area is for a dedicated chess, checkers and other table games area.
The dedicated table games area at Bryant Park, attracts hundreds of people every day.
Encouraging Literacy-Little Free Libraries for MSP and Flatiron Plaza
One or more little free libraries for all ages can be in the Flatiron Playspace. Worth Squares will be portable. Other ones may be fixed in nature. Shown below, Parks Commissioner Michell Silver at a Little Free Library in Marcus Garvey Park.
Fixed Recreation Equipment in the Flatiron Playspace
Rather then having to place fixed exercise equipment in places like Worth Square Park, There are alternative location for them that will fit "sliver spaces"
On the western edge of MSP equipment like exercise bikes, foosball tables, senior exercise equipment. swings and handicapped swings can be placed (swings would face north south) in a linear fashion.
Swings can be placed parallel to the street or sidewalk, on the north eastern sliver edge of Flatiron Plaza link
Placing exercise equipment at curbside transforms useless space into active recreation space
Linear excercise .link
Wheelchair swing, place parallel to street
Active Design: Madison Square Park Activities and Active Recreation Seating
Currently Madison Square Park offers mostly passive recreation bench seating, and and 2 areas with social recreation seating . How about adding activities and active recreation seating to their seating mix?
One thought replace some of the benches on the Madison Avenue perimeter of Madison Square Park with swing seats.
These
passive recreation benches(above) can be replaced with activity
recreation swing seat benches (below) such as Bryant Park offers
A second idea is that passive recreation benches are actually active recreation benches-if only people were given an instruction book.
On the Madison Ave Side of Madison Square Park, place signage like this next to the bench
With the installation of a parkhouse, family friendly active and activities recreation options could flourish in the Flatiron Playspace, as they have in Rockefeller Park. .
Family friendly board game playing on the Rockefeller Park Plaza
Other equipment to borrow from the parkhouse for use in the MSP Family playspace include ...
Virtual Workout Trainer can be borrowed from the Parkhouse and use in the play area
Any public space that offers WiFi access will in the future have the potential to be a best active recreation park here's why
. TheFlatiron Playspace parkhouse can lend VR Workou headsets, your own personal trainer, at a price both you and the park can afford
It will be years before a new childrens play area is built in Madison Square Park. Until then, there is an area just across from the childrens playground that can be used as a full time unsupervised childens free play area.. I brought a petition to the playground about this concept, and most of the nannies and parents I spoke to signed the petition.
Rockefeller Park has such an area, which is unsupervised, As far as I know the grassy area at Rockefeller Park is available 7 days a week.
To mitigate any concerns MSP has over their grass, the loose parts play area can rotate between areas, such as, Sparrow and Cherry so as to allow the grass to rest. Equipment for all areas will be available from the Flatiron Playspace parkhouse.
Flatiron Plaza Table Game Area
In most locations, Citybikes are stored in a linear fashion. The Flatiron Plaza North Citybike island area would be far more valuable as playspace. Move the bikes elsewhere to a street or sidewalk. , One though for the area is for a dedicated chess, checkers and other table games area.
Encouraging Literacy-Little Free Libraries for MSP and Flatiron Plaza
One or more little free libraries for all ages can be in the Flatiron Playspace. Worth Squares will be portable. Other ones may be fixed in nature. Shown below, Parks Commissioner Michell Silver at a Little Free Library in Marcus Garvey Park.
Fixed Recreation Equipment in the Flatiron Playspace
Rather then having to place fixed exercise equipment in places like Worth Square Park, There are alternative location for them that will fit "sliver spaces"
On the western edge of MSP equipment like exercise bikes, foosball tables, senior exercise equipment. swings and handicapped swings can be placed (swings would face north south) in a linear fashion.
Placing exercise equipment at curbside transforms useless space into active recreation space
Linear excercise .link
Active Design: Madison Square Park Activities and Active Recreation Seating
Currently Madison Square Park offers mostly passive recreation bench seating, and and 2 areas with social recreation seating . How about adding activities and active recreation seating to their seating mix?
One thought replace some of the benches on the Madison Avenue perimeter of Madison Square Park with swing seats.
A second idea is that passive recreation benches are actually active recreation benches-if only people were given an instruction book.
Scenario 2
-Parks Department goes it alone-
Worth Square Playspace
Worth Square Playspace
Fixed Equipment with Loose Parts Components
-Transform the 11,000 square foot Worth Square Park into Broadway Playspace CB5's first neighborhood fixed equipment active recreation park.
At 11,0000 sq feet Worth Square is pretty small.
How about incorporating parts of the northern tip of the plaza area to create a larger park.
-Incorporate Flatiron Plaza sliver(A) that surrounds WSP, and is currently used mainly for food recreation, into Worth Square Playspace
-Move Citybike station(B) elsewhere, make their current area, part of Worth Square Playspace
- Add North Eastern tip sliver spaces(C) of Flatiron Plaza to Worth Square Playspace this will include part of adjacent sidewalk.
Area B will become table games area, outdoor reading room area. No food. For people who want to play and eat they should take equipment to Flatiron Plaza.
Area C will become area for fixed equipment and swings.
These items will be placed parallel to curb
Adult Swings could be placed in area C parallel to curb along with...
Tandem rocker for people with autism . I suspect this will be fun for everyone.
In addition to the C street space and its adjacent sidewalk , perhaps some benches can be removed, and replaced by active recreation equipment.
link
Senior Playground equipment
The Worth Monument shed will be used as a storage shed for movable equipment, that can be swapped into the park by parks department maintenance employees. .
Ping Pong
Nok Hockey
Foosball
Piano
Pool Table
air hockey
corn hole
drawing boards/tables
Tables for loose parts play
-Lego blocks
-art supplies
Some equipment such as the ping pong table will be able to be locked to ground, so it does not move
Walls of the storage shed will be available as a drawing surface for parkgoers
I mentioed a whole bunch of items for Worth in the Flatiron Playspace Scenario, , many can be done here too.
Community Art Gallery
Community Garden
Outdoor reading room
None of these are expensive.
Equipment and Staff funding
Capital Budget
Most recreation equipment at Worth Square Playspace will be fixed capital budget items:
Capital budget items on parks property will come from the parks department
Capital budget items on DOT property will come from the 21 million dollar upgrade
Expense Budget
Perhaps parks can fund this on their own, if not. I was at Bryant Park and saw how they funded their winter ice skating rink- with a sponorship by Bank of America.
Worth Square Playspace could be expense funded by offering sponsorship rights, to either a toy related organization, or perhaps a bank.
Loose Parts Village
at Worth Square Playspace
Cityplay
at Worth Square Playspace
Scenario 3
additional space
Broadway Playspace
Flatiron area Broadway Reclamation
additional space
Broadway Playspace
Flatiron area Broadway Reclamation
Broadway Playspace
CB5 has no active recreation parks. It may well offer less active recreation offerings then anyplace else in Manhattan. Land is scarce and expensive in this neighborhood, and I doubt that there are existing lots available in the area for a active recreation park. If traffic is removed from the Broadway section of Flatiron Plaza it will present an unprecedented opportunity to add this new area as active recreation parkland
Here are some thoughts.....
Broadway Playspace 24th St to 25th St (Parks Department)
link
Large loose equipment such as this special needs tricycle can be made available from the partkhouse
link
Pavement into grass area to play on
UNI Reading Room
Portable basketball for kids
Broadway Playspace 23rd St to 24th Street (Flatiron Partnership)
-Build a bunch of great lookiing active recreation items and/or interactive items like this. Populate Broadway Playspace between 23-24th st. with them.
This will create a signature attraction to the space that
-Draw people to the Flatiron Area
-Help meet resident active and activities recreation needs
-Give people activities alternatives to eating
-Add a new pieces every year(this piece was part of a Flatiron Partnership yearly competition).
By asking that the new added southern Broadway Space is to be used as part of a community playspace as opposed to a space for more food recreation/commercial/junk marketing. both the Flatiron Partnership merchants and the community will benefit. The community gets more playspace , the merchants of the Flatiron district, get a child friendly tourist draw attraction to draw people to the district.
Contrast this idea to Times Square Plaza. In Times Square the BID has offered nothing of interest to kids and families. So what has occurred is private merchants have moved in to do the job.
(actually only children's entertainment Time Square Plaza)
Broadway Playspace South of 23rd Street
Currently there is social seating here, a citybike station, and a plaza eatery. I think this area will be redesigned to be more of the same.
Land like this is too valuable for a citybike station,. The citybike station can be moved onto an adjacent sidewalk.
Rather then just the same old plaza, how can this space be converted into something that can also meet neighborhood active recreation needs?
Currently fixed seating benches and social seating tables and chairs are offered here. How about adding recreation seating to the mix.
EFGH Swing Parklet Van Alen Institute Finalist
Swing for autism spectrum
Rocking Chairs
Swimg seats Los Angeles Sprimg Street Parklet
Scenario 4
Community Board 4 and 6 Playspace Signage
Business as usual.. No outdoor space in the Flatiron District takes responsibility for youth, senior, adult, inclusive and special needs active recreation in Flatirons outdoor spaces.
Community boards 4 and 6 continue to take responsibility for Flatiron district and CB5 youth, adult, senior active recreation needs. This is kind of like Newark providing Hobokens active recreation.
As part of the Flatiron Plaza upgrade, in place of adding active recreation to CB5, DOT could be requested to add signage throughout the Flatiron District with directions to active and activities recreation parks that are located in community boards 4 and 6. Also they can add signage for directions to Bryant Park.
200 East 23rd Street to Bryant Park
I am kidding about posting these signs, Hopefully they have helped made my point. Twenty minutes is too far. As this chart shows after 3 blocks (3 minutes) use of a park decreases drastically.
The chart is for a passive recreation park, but active recreation usage just as surely decreases as distance increases. If we looked at the number of people in CB5 who use the parks of VB4 and 6 I suspect it it would be pretty slim.
Scenario 5
Broadway turns into Commercial Space
If area D and E are not turned into park, here is what will probably occur
Food Recreation
.
Attention neighborhood foodists: it’s your favorite time of year! Mad. Sq. Eats is returning to Worth Square Friday, September 21!!
This month-long outdoor market will bring you 26 vendors from some of
the city’s most raved about eateries, including returning Mad. Sq. Eats
favorites as well as some newbies to keep things feeling fresh. All are
welcome to stop on by, grab a drink and EAT! Mad. Sq. Eats is open
daily September 21 through October 19 from 11am to 9pm.
With the extensive line-up of vendors, be sure to stop by early and often and try it all! Worth Square is located directly adjacent to Madison Square Park on the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 25th Street – you can’t miss the vibrant
umbrellas and tablecloths!
- See more at: http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/things-to-do/calendar/fall-eats#sthash.IsbNsYtu.dpuf
Attention neighborhood foodists: it’s your favorite time of year! Mad.
Sq. Eats is returning to Worth Square Friday, September 21!! This
month-long outdoor market will bring you 26 vendors from some of the
city’s most raved about eateries... linkWith the extensive line-up of vendors, be sure to stop by early and often and try it all! Worth Square is located directly adjacent to Madison Square Park on the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 25th Street – you can’t miss the vibrant
umbrellas and tablecloths!- See more at: http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/things-to-do/calendar/fall-eats#sthash.IsbNsYtu.dpuf
Junk Marketing Promotions
The online market eBay, promotes their "Hot Deals for Hot Days" promotion in Flatiron Plaza in New York on Tuesday, July 7, 2015. link
Flatiron Broadway addition will make room for more ...
Food sales
Urban Space Fashion District Plaza link
Penn Station-area workers: good news! ... for those of us who work near Penn Station,
this is a godsend! link
this is a godsend! link
....and for the creation of seasonal Flatiron Shopping Markets on Flatiron Broadway
The Union Square Holiday Market is the New York destination for an intimate and enjoyable holiday shopping experience.. Urbanspace
Just as you thought the holiday season couldn’t get any better, the Urbanspace team is excited to announce our brand new Garment District Holiday Market! Urbanspace
As a vendor, you'll enjoy being part of our spectacular Bank of America Winter Village, which features over 120 vendors selling a variety of goods... is a must-see destination for tourists and New Yorkers alike link
... plus larger promotional marketing events
Here's the community's feeling on Junk Marketing
Clayton Smith, chair of Community Board 5's Parks and Public Spaces committee, said companies' installations take the pedestrian plazas away from the public.
"Product launches and commercial events deny the public that space and disrupt daily life for residents and businesses," Smith said. "It's inconvenient, it's in the way and it's cynical."
"Oh, I can't walk through this public space because it's been rented to a corporation," he said he thinks while navigating the advertising.
"Community Board 5 sent a letter to the mayor, the City Council and Borough President Gale Brewer on Jan. 9 condemning the city for giving pedestrian plaza space to advertisements and commercial publicity stunts, and called for a working group to address the issue." link
NYC Parks Department vs Conservancy/BIDS
The primary mission of the parks department is to create parks that serve the needs of the community. Unfortunately due to budget constraints, (plenty of capital budget, no staff budget) they are not always able to carry out their mission as best as they can.
The primary mission of many parks and plazas run by BIDS/Conservancies in many instances seems to be to serve commercial interests, and/or to offer activities that will generate the funds to pay for their spaces.
Based on who gets control over any new Broadway areas, Flatiron will get two very different experiences. Only one of them will serve the active recreation needs of the community.
Scenario 6, 7,8
???
Exclusion and Inclusion
Many open spaces subtly exclude use by many groups through their their lack of offering features that would attract those groups,
For example, Union Square park offers a playground for little kids, , seating for older people, a dog run, food as recreation (The Pavilion) shopping as recreation (Union Square Holiday Market) It is inclusive for people who want these features, It subtly excludes use by ping pong players, the disabled who are offered no equipment of interest(wheel chair swings, audible balls etc) ,, youth who would like to play foosball. etc, etc etc Can these groups still go to Union Square Park? Yes, but many do not bother as the park does not offer recreation opportunities that interested them.
I've no doubt that the Flatiron Plaza upgrade plan will meet ADA standards, I strongly doubt the organizations involved are creating activities at the space that will allow everyone to feel included, no matter what their ages or abilities. .
Here's some suggestions...
Talk to Me
People don't generally talk to strangers in public spaces. Have one bench or table in the Flatiron Playspace with a sign " talk to me" and an explanation of the concept. . If you are sitting there, it means you want people to talk to you. .
I was talking Nooria at the Andrew Heskill Braille and Talking Book Library (40 W 20th St). I asked her what activities she would like as part of the upgrade.,One of her suggestions was to be "included". by sighted people. I suggested she have a seat where the talk to me sign was.
Play with Me -part of the Table Game Area
"One hobby my visually impaired friend Charlene and I share is a love for games of practically every sort. We've wiled away many a glorious breezy afternoon at the cabin playing card games like Kaiser, 500, Euchre, and Pinochle using my friend's special pack of brailled cards. To this day I'm still trying to figure out how she cheats using that deck.
We've also played several classic tabletop diversions, like Monopoly and Scrabble, using boards that feature raised surfaces that allow Char to feel (in the tactile sense) where to place a playing piece on the game grid. In the case of Monopoly, the Community Chest, Chance, and property cards are brailled so that Char can read them without assistance from a sighted person. Similarly, the letter tiles used in Char's version of Scrabble are brailled, so you can imagine that I watch very closely when she puts her hand inside the bag to draw out new tiles. She's a slippery one, I tell you". link
By offering braille cards, and Scrabble at the Flatiron Playspace, table games area, the area will be inclusive towards the area's s large Visually Impaired community (both Visions for the Blind and the Andrew Heiskell Talking book library are in the neighborhood).
The Bryant Park table games area creates a space where people of all ages come regularly and meet to play games. Just as important as the games are the relationships you build over time with the other regular players. Creating ongoing spaces that allow relationships to be built over time is important. Brtyant Park Games is really a community center open to people of all ages.
Note-When I first visited the Bryant Park Table games area, 1 person was there using it, yoday a lot of people use it, it took them several years to work out how to get it going.
Why a self organizing community component is needed...
Involvement and Participation
The concept of involvement and participation
underlies this whole report. It seems central to the
comments of all our consultants. Rand has
summarized the point when he says, "Designed
environments which are thought out. formalized,
and complete are usually lifeless' and
unapproachable because (a) they do not invite
interaction and modification to suit immediate
human needs; (b) they are unable to grow, develop
and become extended through human use. Human
habitation merely fulfills (for better or far worse)
the designer's conception of their potential
meaning rather than leading to the discovery
of new functions and new forms of interaction.
Oddly enough [he goes on to say] many environ-
sents which 'work' well for people meet few
if any, aesthetic criteria ordinarily employed
by designers." From New York, New York (1968)
by Lawrence Halpern and Associates.
by Lawrence Halpern and Associates.
Loose parts are objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play. .... It has often been observed that children presented with a gift will play longer with the box than with the toy that was in it link
The Theory of Loose Parts
see: How NOT to Cheat Children The Theory of Loose Parts
.
As things are set up now. Flatiron Partnership and Madison Square Park, officials "program" their spaces. through the vision of their professional staff. That's why we have no daily active, activities, senior, or special needs recreation in the Flatiron District. The loose parts parkhouse concept is meant to be "programmed" by the community. with far less "visioning" from the professional staffs.
Read a Book, Play a Game –
The Dallas Morning News sponsors the Reading & Games Room. This
outdoor “room” offers books, newspapers, and board games to play in the
park. Check out a book or a game by simply leaving your ID. It was
such fun to “check out” Candyland with the kids and play a game or two
among the big towers of downtown Dallas. - See more at:
http://www.rwethereyetmom.com/2013/05/5-cool-things-to-do-at-klyde-warren.html#sthash.X05GeDio.dpuf
Read a Book, Play a Game – The Dallas Morning News sponsors the Reading & Games Room. This outdoor “room” offers books, newspapers, and board games to play in the park. Check out a book or a game by simply leaving your ID. It was such fun to “check out” Candyland with the kids and play a game or two among the big towers of downtown Dallas. - See more at:
Active Design for Midtown Manhattan
Partnering Libraries and Parks-The Theory of Loose Parks
Networking Public Spaces-Walking Trails/Wandering parks
Swappable Parks
The Obesity Crisis and Midtown Manhattans Lack of Active Recreation
Swappable Park Possible Locations Worth Square and Baruch Plaza
Staffing the Swappable Park
Swappable Park Equipment Catalog
A history of public spaces in NYC Past, Present, Future
Partnering Libraries and Parks-The Theory of Loose Parks
Networking Public Spaces-Walking Trails/Wandering parks
Swappable Parks
The Obesity Crisis and Midtown Manhattans Lack of Active Recreation
Swappable Park Possible Locations Worth Square and Baruch Plaza
Staffing the Swappable Park
Swappable Park Equipment Catalog
A history of public spaces in NYC Past, Present, Future
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