The Boogie Down Walking Club: Implementing Walking Programs as a Sustainable Form of Physical Activity

 

Members of Grand Concourse Seventh Day Adventist Church Walking Club.

This post was written by Immaculada Moronta.

With the high rates of obesity and overweight in many South Bronx neighborhoods, a low impact activity such as walking provides a great opportunity for residents to get physical activity. But being able to safely engage in physical activity in many Bronx neighborhoods is no simple walk in the park. Many areas of the Bronx are densely populated urban areas where open, green spaces are limited, and many public areas have conditions that discourage residents to get out and walk. There are unsafe walking conditions such as unpaved and uneven or dirty sidewalks, construction activities, unsafe crosswalks, busy vehicular traffic and areas with criminal activity. 

Bronx Health REACH, in collaboration with Equity Design, an organization that uses physical activity to motivate and transform the lives of youth, adults and communities, launched a walking program, with seven participating faithbased organizations. Bible Church of Christ, Cathedral at Greater Faith in the Bronx, Church Alive Community Church, Grand Concourse Seventh Day Adventist, Every Day is a Miracle, New Life Rehoboth Church and St. Jerome Church completed the program with 80 participants in the summer of 2023. From June to September, the partners collectively walked 128.23 miles/296,801 steps.  

Members of Cathedral at Greater Faith in the Bronx Walking Club.

The walks not only provide a low-impact physical activity and social connectedness, but also create a safe environment for the community of walkers by activating spaces deemed unsafe or unfit for walking, and to help narrow existing health inequity gaps that remain for Black and Latino residents in many Bronx communities.

The partners designed their walking routes with technical assistance provided by Equity Design and tailored their goals to the needs and capacity of the people leading the clubs and the participants. For example, the goal for one of the walking clubs included a one-mile walk in 20 to 30 minutes, while another it was 1,000 steps per participant. The walking clubs also set a collective goal of completing one million steps. Prospective members of a walking club completed a survey to determine what days and times they preferred to walk, how many times a week to meet and if they had any health issues that would impact their ability to walk.  Each walking club partner completed a walking assessment of their proposed walking route to determine walkability, taking into account: sidewalk conditions, pedestrian traffic, the number of trees and seating per block along a route, cleanliness of routes, vehicular traffic and accessibility to public transportation. 

Members of Christian Bible Temple Walking Club.

A major success of this project was that each walking club created their own timeline and action steps to ensure the sustainability of their program. A tool developed for the walking clubs was a walking course map highlighting and identifying the degree of ease vs. difficulty for each route i.e. steep places vs. flat surfaces and distance. The tools could be accessed through Google Earth on users’ smartphones. A captain and co-captain were selected by the members of each walking group. To promote their walking club and church affiliation some walking clubs printed their own t-shirts for each participant to wear and provided them with visors, water bottles, pedometers, captain t-shirts, and whistles. 

The impact of this initiative can be seen at both the community and individual level. One notable example of community level impact is Bible Church of Christ. During their environmental assessment of their proposed walking route, members observed that substance abusers and homeless people occupied an open space along their walking route. Instead of finding an alternate route, they invited all those that were there to join them. Several community members subsequently joined them in their weekly walks. As a result, those residents who joined, are helping the walking club create a safer space. Individual walking club members have been touting the benefits from walking. Christian Bible Temple completed a community clean-up day surrounding the blocks around the church that were was part of their walking route. Equity Design connected them with the New York City Department of Sanitation and received tools to continue with the cleanup. On the individual level, one woman, a senior citizen, had been using a walker when she started walking with the walking club, and now she no longer needs to use a walker.

The faith-based walking clubs not only provide physical activity but social connectedness as well for participants, which many sought following the devastating isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The level of commitment from the walking clubs is powerful. Many times over these walking clubs have brought people together with the goal of making healthier versions of themselves. Our walking clubs always find a way to bring out the best in each of their members with the goal of getting physically active in the Boogie Down Bronx!

Health Disparities Workgroup Roundtable Discussion with Fordham University Faculty

 

Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup members had a roundtable discussion with several Fordham University faculty to get expertise and feedback on the HDWG’s Asks. 

In the Spring, Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup members had a roundtable discussion with several Fordham University faculty to elicit their expert feedback on the HDWG’s Asks. This was the first of several roundtables being planned to focus on different sections of the HDWG Asks. The particular focus of this meeting was on the economic Ask. Robert J. Brent, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Janis Barry, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, and H. Shellae Versey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology were the participating faculty members. We are excited to continue working with Fordham University and their faculty and staff on the HDWG Asks and creating opportunities for students to engage with the community on the #Not62 campaign. Thank you to Fordham’s Keisha Shay, Ph.D., Associate Director of Academic Development and Administration and Surey Miranda-Alarcon, Director of Campus and Community Engagement, who are helping to organize the roundtables.

Bronx Health REACH Meets with Bronx Borough President

 

Members of the Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup (HDWG) met with Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson.

In March, members of the Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup (HDWG) met with Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson and Dr. Nancy Kheck, Director of Health and Human Services for the Bronx Borough President’s Office. The meeting was held to discuss the findings of the 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings report and the policy Asks of the HDWG. 

In January, during her State of the Bronx address, the Borough President indicated that improving the health of the Bronx was a priority. At the meeting with her, the group discussed with her how the recently announced work of her office fits into these Asks. A follow up meeting will be scheduled with the Borough President in the upcoming months.

Faith Based Partners Tour Concrete Plant Park

Attendees at the June faith based outreach meeting toured the edible gardens at Concrete Plant Park. 

Faith based partner members were given a tour of Concrete Park at the June faith based outreach initiative. Meeting at Bronx Health REACH partner church, Mt. Zion CME Church, the group walked to the Westchester entrance of Concrete Park, located at Bronx River Avenue and Whitlock Avenue. Nathan Hunter from Bronx River Alliance took the group of 14 on a tour of the edible gardens. As part of our initiative to support active design efforts and increase safe, accessible places for physical activity, we have connected our faith based partners with the work that Bronx River Alliance has been doing to increase awareness of the available park space community residents can access.

Rev. Theresa Oliver, Senior Pastor at Mt. Zion CME Church initially toured both Concrete Plant Park and Starlight Park in May, and joined the June tour. She remarked, "It is remarkable that we have this amazing oasis right in our own backyard here in the Bronx. We sampled berries and mint from the edible garden. When it cools down I will bring our congregation to the park after our Sunday service."  Joseph Ellis, Bronx Health REACH Community Health Worker added, "I remember when it used to be an empty space filled with trash but it's great to see it transform into an amazing park and open space that the community can use and enjoy." We encourage everyone to visit Concrete Plant and Starlight Parks and take part in the many outdoor activities offered by our partner Bronx River Alliance.

Bronx Health REACH in the News

Bronx Health REACH appeared with NY Assemblymember Dinowitz (right) and State Senator Klein (center) asking to renew the school zone speed camera program.


Unionport School-PS36 students and Saba Quality Plus Deli unveiled their Don't Stress, Eat Fresh healthy bodega marketing campaign on June 12th. Students offered free fruit salad samples to Saba Quality Plus Deli customers and promoted Saba by featuring the fruit salad during morning announcements, classroom and cafeteria presentations and by distributing fliers. The Bronx Times covered the event.

P.S. 333, the winner of the Bronx Salad Cover Competition participated in a school-wide celebration and awards ceremony on June 25th hosted by Bronx Health REACH. Bronx Health REACH partner Henry Obispo from the United Business Cooperative spoke to the students about the importance of healthy eating, and a hot sauce tasting contest was held. Their photo will appear on the cover of the ‘Bronx Salad Toolkit for Schools,’ an adapted recipe and planning guide for schools desiring to grow, harvest and eat a version of The Bronx Salad using their school garden’s produce. The Bronx Times covered the event.

On Thursday, July 12th, Bronx Health REACH joined partner Transportation Alternatives as well as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein asking for New York state legislators to renew the school zone speed camera program due to expire in July. Bronx Health REACH Director Charmaine Ruddock provided a quote and the event received extensive coverage by News12 The Bronx, WNBC, and WCBS among others.

Health Disparities Workgroup Asks Mayor to Make the Health of the Bronx a Priority

Charmaine Ruddock and Mike Johnson from Bronx Health REACH with Mayor Bill de Blasio following the Mayor's Bronx Town Hall Meeting held on April 18.

 In April, eleven members of the Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup attended a Bronx Town Hall meeting held by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The workgroup was there to draw the Mayor’s attention to the very poor health outcomes of Bronx residents, evidenced in the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Ranking Report that ranks the Bronx 62 out of New York State’s 62 counties in health outcomes and health factors. They were also there to ask the Mayor to make the health of the Bronx a priority of his administration.

During the question and answer section of the town hall, the Workgroup got to do just that. First, Michael Johnson, Bronx Health REACH’s Communications Associate, asked the Mayor what was he and his Administration doing to improve the health of the Bronx. In response, the Mayor pointed to the widely accepted idea that poor health outcomes are a result, not just of a lack of healthcare but also of social and economic factors at work. We couldn’t agree with him more.

Left to right: Health Disparities Workgroup members Sandra Jenkins, Icelyn Ayo and Flora Goldstone.

Hearing this from him was the perfect set up for Charmaine Ruddock, Bronx Health REACH’s Project Director, to request a meeting with the Mayor and the Workgroup. The Mayor readily agreed. As Charmaine pointed out to the Mayor, a great urgency is felt to have the Administration prioritize the Bronx especially in light of the fact that, because of term limits this, his second term, is also his last. As you can imagine, the Workgroup members attending the Townhall left feeling, ‘mission accomplished’.

"I'm really excited that Charmaine was able to request a meeting between the Health Disparities Workgroup and the Mayor and his staff. It's important for the Mayor to be aware of the poor health outcomes of Bronx residents and that something has to be done to improve it," said Sandra Jenkins, from Church of God of Prophecy, a member of Bronx Health REACH’s Faith Based Outreach Initiative and the Health Disparities Workgroup.

Symposium Provides Forum for Community Based Organizations to Showcase Their Work

On September 27th Bronx Health REACH, along with the Center for the Study of Asian American Health at NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health, and Bronx Community Health Network, all grantees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant; and the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, a CDC Partnership to Improve Community Health (PICH) grantee hosted a symposium, “Community Transformation through Partnerships.” Over 150 people attended the forum that provided community based organizations such as Transportation Alternatives, Casita Maria and others to share strategies and initiatives designed and implemented to create opportunities for healthy living in communities with significant rates of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Dr. Ruth Petersen, Director for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, 

and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Opening the symposium was Dr. Ruth Petersen, Director for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Petersen spoke about the REACH program improving the health of many Americans by providing 2 million people greater opportunities for choosing healthy foods and beverages, and 600,000 people with increased opportunities to be physically active as a result of environmental and policy improvements. Richard Hamburg from Trust for America’s Health and Dr. Susan Beane from Healthfirst were keynote speakers. Mr. Hamburg noted that the best long term investment is increasing CDC funding to programs such as REACH as doing so has been shown to improve the health and well-being of many communities. Dr. Beane discussed Healthfirst's efforts to merge health and social services to create and support a "Healthy Village" system of healthcare.

Gail Heidel, Associate Director of Creative Arts Programs at Casita Maria.

Bronx Health REACH partners were featured on two panels. On the Community Leadership and Engagement panel Erwin Figueroa, Bronx organizer for Transportation Alternatives spoke about the work of transforming the Grand Concourse into a Complete Street. And, on the Evaluation and Storytelling panel, Gail Heidel, Associate Director of Creative Arts Programs at Casita Maria, gave an overview of their projects painting murals on playgrounds in the South Bronx to encourage more outdoor physical activity. She also spoke about engaging residents to be active participants in the Bronx campaign to become ‘The World’s Strongest Borough’ utilizing the ‘Mobile Pull-Up Bar of Power.’

Charmaine Ruddock, (left) Project Director at Bronx Health REACH.

The final panel of the day was a unique conversation with funders and grantees discussing, from their respective perspectives, the expectations and efforts of each when trying to effect long term sustainable changes in communities disproportionately experiencing racial and ethnic health disparities. The panelists were Max Winer from New York University, Sarah Oltmans from Robin Hood Foundation, Nupur Chaudhury from the New York State Health Foundation, Linda Lee from Korean Community Services and Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock. Charmaine focused her remarks on the importance of getting buy in from the community. "You can't have folks helicopter into the community and helicopter out; there has to be a commitment to the community."

Community Engagement and Empowerment Through Visioning Sessions

Parishioners from Calvary Victory Bible Church participating in a Visioning session.

The following post was written by Bronx Health REACH staff member Immaculada Moronta.

Recently, I led two visioning sessions for the Complete the Grand Concourse Initiative, which is an effort to bring life-saving improvements to the entire Grand Concourse with traffic calming measures, protected bike lanes, curb extensions, and dedicated bus lanes. The visioning sessions were held at two Bronx churches, who are partners in the Bronx Health REACH Faith Based coalition.

Visioning sessions are a great way to hear from the community about the concerns and improvements needed. Created by James Rojas, a visioning session involves a group of community members using objects such as small blocks of wood, string, artificial flowers, pipe cleaners etc. to design their ideal neighborhood/community. At both visioning sessions participants were instructed to use the material provided and design their community as they would like it, whether that was making streets safer, improvements to the parks or more places for physical activity in their neighborhood.

The first visioning session involved nine parishioners from Christ the King Church located off the Grand Concourse at Marcy Place. It plays a vital role in providing community support for getting the Complete the Grand Concourse Initiative done working with Bronx Health REACH’s partner, Transportation Alternatives. One participant mentioned that the Grand Concourse needs more lighting since it is quite dangerous to cross the street at night. Others mentioned that the Grand Concourse could use more cameras and give pedestrians more time to cross. One participant would like the Grand Concourse to be more aesthetically appealing such as Park Avenue in Manhattan. Another participant spoke about improving the park by having more benches, swings, trash cans, water fountains, more trees and flowers. Other park improvements participants wanted to see include having a first aid kit available and EMS responders at the park, water fountains for children to play, an area for dogs/pets, and benches in the shade for seniors to sit.

The second visioning session involved fifteen parishioners from Calvary Victory Bible Church including the Pastor of the Church and 8 children. At Calvary Victory Bible Church the first to share was a father and his four year old son, who I designated his special assistant. They had constructed what I thought was a basketball court, but was actually four camera poles that would be in their ideal park. They felt parks in the Bronx needed more lighting, and with increased lighting and surveillance the drug dealers would move elsewhere. The lighting would also help police with investigations. Another participant created a farmers market and a store that offered salads since she felt that did not currently exist in her neighborhood. One participant said that more community centers are needed with a focus on job training so young adults would stay off the streets. Another highlighted public safety, and would like to see more police involvement. Another participant went further by saying that since there are multiple ethnicities in her community, the police need to be trained better so they can be more welcoming to diverse communities.

I did not expect that racial inequality would be such a charged topic during the sessions. When I introduced the workshops I was expecting participants to focus on wider streets or on ways to improve the park, but those were not their immediate needs and wants.

Participants highlighted the violence and other public safety issues they face. Many feel unsafe when they visit their local parks and are afraid to bring their children because they see people smoking and breaking the law and do not want their children exposed to that. Being a Latina living in the Bronx, and, though, aware of the racial inequality that exists, because it is not part of my lived experience, I was caught by surprise that the issue of race was the big elephant in the room in both sessions. Many asked: “Why do we not have access to healthy food? Why is our rent increasing and we are being pushed out of our community? Why is gentrification happening?”

I strongly believe that real change can happen and Bronx Health REACH, along with our partners’ efforts, are addressing this head on. But it is a community effort, and many stakeholders must take action. The Bronx has a bright future, and even though eliminating health disparities is hard work, we should not grow weary in our efforts, but persevere. The #Not62-The Campaign for A Healthy Bronx! brings together Bronx community organizations and residents to eliminate health disparities. After holding these visioning sessions with Christ the King and Victory Bible Church members it is clear that community members must have a seat at the table and be actively involved in the decision making since they know best the problems and can offer solutions.

Bicycle and Soccer Program Comes to Claremont Village

Bronx Lebanon Hospital, a partner with Bronx Health REACH, is creating a bike and soccer program for residents of the Claremont Village community. The goal of the bicycle program is to  provide exercise and, very importantly, to establish bike lanes for the Claremont Village neighborhood connecting Mott Haven, Hunts Point and Claremont, with safe bike routes.

The bicycle program offers, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the Claremont in Motion Bike Ride Program  free, learn to ride classes and group rides  open to anyone ten years and older. Held at the Claremont Neighborhood Center, participants are first evaluated on their biking abilities, and if needed, offered riding lessons. Participants also take a road safety course before heading out for a group ride. Group rides have consisted of trips to the Bronx Zoo, the Bronx Botanical Garden, Crotona Park, and Randalls Island. Bike New York assists in the riding lessons and group rides. Another aspect of the bicycle program is working with Recycle a Bicycle to refurbish old bicycles, which will provide participants in the program with an opportunity to learn basic bicycle mechanics.

Street Soccer USA, and Bronx Lebanon Hospital, with support from Bronx Health REACH, is partnering on a  soccer program. On Saturday, September 10th a “Back to School” event was held at CS 55, with soccer training workshops being held for youths aged 5 to 18. The main attraction of the event, the Street Soccer USA Stadium, is where youth participating in the event can play short, 15 minute games during the day. The goal of the soccer program is to establish an after school program at CS 55 starting in October, and eventually build a soccer court within Claremont Village using  an underutilized space on the property.

The Building Blocks for the Grant Avenue Elementary School Playground

This post comes to us from Bronx Health REACH public health intern, Diana Litsas.

Active Design is an exciting new approach to renovate spaces that encourages children in school to enjoy the physical, emotional, and social benefits of play and exercise¹. In an effort to increase physical activity, Bronx Health REACH uses Active Design in Schools to engage students and other non-profit organizations in developing a plan for children to be active and play. Each of these projects is unique, adapting to school needs of space and budget.

Bronx Health REACH (BHR) is excited to be working on an Active Design Project to create a more engaging play yard at Grant Avenue Elementary School. Currently the outdoor space is a barren, narrow strip of concrete—a play area that seems especially inadequate as it faces a full-functioning playground which belongs to a neighboring school (the other school is overcrowded as it is, and unable to share facilities with Grant Avenue). Grant Avenue’s planned solution is an Imagination Playground², which features movable pieces (“big blue blocks”) that allow for more dynamic and creative play compared to the fixed structures of a typical playground.

BHR joined a recent visit with Grant Avenue elementary school as they explored the Imagination Playground flagship in Burling Slip. Upon their arrival to the park, the students immediately began playing, despite the unfamiliar set of playground elements. These foam pieces encourage students to move in safe and creative ways, as they are made in a variety of shapes and sizes that give students versatility while they play with them². While some blocks can be carried, others are bigger than some students themselves! The students built large “house” structures, as they referred to them, or use the blocks as a place to sit and socialize. Some students even arranged two rectangular blocks to construct a seesaw! The pieces were made out of a hard foam material is durable enough to withstand outside elements while being soft enough for students to stay safe when they fell on them. Few students used the blocks by themselves; most preferred to collaborate with classmates while building.

It was clear that using the blocks necessitated communication and patience among students, as they had to share and negotiate the use of certain blocks. Teacher Diana Castillo expressed her confidence that the blocks would be well received at Grant Avenue Elementary School based on the limited space they require, and how much the kids enjoyed using them.

¹The Partnership for a Healthier New York City

²Imagination Playground

Plans for Bronx Delta Playground Project Takes Shape

Current condition of the Bronx Delta Playground.

This post is written by Emily Oppenheimer, Program Coordinator for the Partnership for a Healthier Bronx.

Currently, the Bronx Delta School playground is a bare and empty blacktop, in poor condition, without any play structures. The school is located in the Throgg’s Neck Community of the Bronx. The current outdoor space does not entice the 800 plus elementary and middle school students to engage in active play or movement.

Good news, changes are happening at the schoolyard! In February 2016, students began to design play yard renovations, led by Trust for Public Land (TPL). As part of that process, students took a fieldtrip to CS 300 to learn firsthand about a similar Bronx playground project with TPL.
Despite cold temperatures and impending snow, the students ran, jumped, climbed, threw balls, tumbled and explored with glee around the newly renovated CS 300 play yard. Through the TPL process, students select a playground theme; CS300 students chose the sky, “so that when you run, you can feel like you’re flying.” Mr. Dubois, a science teacher whose class is participating in the design process explained, “This really is an amazing project, these students will leave their legacy.”

While visiting CS300, students were immediately engaged with the colors, shapes, structures, plants and art. The energetic transformation to active play was palpable when compared to the passive standing I typically observe at Bronx Delta School’s current playground.  The playground visit gave the students ideas to influence their own playground designs for the Bronx Delta School.

Trust for Public Land engages the entire community in the process. This week I joined Joan Keener of TPL at the PTA Meeting. Joan shared the two student-created playground designs, developed by the four co-located schools and the Phipps Beacon Program. It was fun to hear parent thoughts and perspectives. Overall, there was a lot of excitement, especially given that most families live in the community, and the playground hours will be extended with these renovations.

The updated space will include a track, basketball courts, a kickball space, garden and a jungle gym. These larger scale renovations, led by TPL are funded by the Bronx Borough President through Resolution A Funding and Councilmember Vacca’s Office. Resolution A funding through the Borough President’s Office or City Council can be requested by schools and community groups to initiate large-scale improvement projects, like playgrounds. The TPL designs will be ready in late April, and construction is projected to start summer 2017.

Parents reviewing the two playground designs.

In the meantime, the school received funding from Bronx Health REACH for an Active Design Project to paint the playground and plant vertical gardens. On Saturday, April 16, we’ll be painting stencils on the playground.

Bronx Parks Deserve Their Fair Share

New York City Parks are not adequately funded and maintained at a level that is consistent throughout the city. When we look at our parks in the Bronx and compare them with Central Park or Prospect Park, it is difficult not to think we are getting the short end of the funding stick. We have a new Mayor, (will have) a new Parks Commissioner and there is no better time than now to make some changes, to shake things up some. The status quo is not working. I am hoping that the new Parks Commissioner will implement changes to start moving things in the right direction. 

The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park was founded in 1992 by Bronx residents in response to a New York Times article describing the impact of declining NYC Department of Parks and Recreation budgets for parks like Van Cortlandt that lacked wealthy benefactors. Twenty years later, the Bronx Parks Department is still not adequately funded. With the largest NYC Park, Pelham Bay, and the 3rd largest park, Van Cortlandt, the Bronx has more parkland than any other borough. But we often wonder if we are getting our fair share of the Parks Department’s budget to maintain these parks at the level that Bronxites deserve. 

Private conservancies and other public/private partnerships raise hundreds of millions of dollars to keep Central Park, the High Line, Prospect Park and a limited number of other parks in pristine condition. These private charities are thus solving, for now, their own maintenance problems. This is not a problem in and of itself except that it gives some people the false impression that the parks funding problem is solved. In the past twelve years, the City, in addition to other funding sources, also has provided hundreds of millions of dollars for capital improvements in a handful of new flagship parks, like Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governor’s Island. But for the vast majority of parks, there remain serious budget shortfalls for their maintenance. 

Bronx park support groups are doing what they can to help close the gap between the current budget allocations and what Bronx parks really need. These groups raise money to provide special events, educational and cultural programming and work with volunteers to clean up their neighborhood’s parks. Representatives pound the pavement asking their elected officials to provide capital funding to restore neglected park facilities. But given the economic demographics of the Bronx, the fundraising capacity of these organizations is limited in a way that the Central Park Conservancy is not. 

Van Cortlandt Park is 1,146 acres (yes, it’s bigger than Central Park) with the first public golf course in America, the oldest building still standing in the Bronx, numerous sporting fields, over 500 acres of forest, a freshwater lake, a nationally renowned Cross Country Course and 20 plus miles of hiking trails. However, Van Cortlandt Park will never be bordered by Central Park West and 5th Avenue. Does its location diminish its importance? Van Cortlandt Park is important to the thousands of community members who consider it their backyard and many others that visit to hike, run, swim, play and more. I urge Mayor De Blasio and the soon to be Parks Commissioner to make a greater commitment to addressing the deficiencies in Bronx Parks than prior administrations have been willing to do. We need a multifaceted approach of greater maintenance budgets and creative, alternative revenue strategies that will work outside of the most visible parks in New York’s wealthiest neighborhoods. 

This blog post was written by Christina Taylor, Executive Director of the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park.