Fields of Difference: Usage and Perception of Urban Park Spaces in New York City

Design and layout can influence a person’s desire to enter a space, but the inherent openness of a public park means that the usage or lack thereof of an area must be influenced by other factors such as race or class. This... [ view full abstract ]

Design and layout can influence a person’s desire to enter a space, but the inherent openness of a public park means that the usage or lack thereof of an area must be influenced by other factors such as race or class. This study seeks to determine how urban public parks are used and perceived by residents according to their racial identification. I propose that levels of park usage change across different groups based on the availability of resources, prior frequent use of parks and perception of comfort within the area. Comparing two public parks in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, Highbridge Park and Fort Tryon Park, I studied the usage of park space over a five week time period. The communities surrounding these two parks differ greatly in racial composition, which may expose how people differentially use these public spaces. Classifying the parks into hard spaces, green spaces, and pathways, I found that there was little difference in frequency of park usage but in how they utilized these spaces. By studying racial variance in park usage, my project seeks to understand how inequality and exclusion manifest in urban public spaces.