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The Upper East Side's Lack of Green Space Is Clear From On High

By Shaye Weaver | September 28, 2016 8:52am
 


Photo credit: Daily Overview | Image (c) 2016, DigitalGlobe, Inc.
(You can zoom in to this image to focus on neighborhood details.)

The Upper East Side is all grid and no green.

In this satellite photo taken from hundreds of miles up, Carl Schurz Park is found in the northeast and Central Park is to the west, but there are no parks in between, unlike the Upper West Side, which has a number of ballfields and green spaces lining streets and avenues. Roosevelt Island, on the right, looks lush by comparison.

And while the Upper East Side has the tree-lined streets that many vie for when looking for a home, open space is scarce. 

Some Upper East Siders have made it their goal to see to it that the neighborhood takes advantage of the assets it has, including the Queensboro Oval park under the Queensboro Bridge and East 91st Street between Second and Third avenues.

Locals are pushing the Department of Parks and Recreation to give back the Queensboro Oval to the public after renting the space out to a tennis club for decades, and residents near East 91st Street have an application filed with the city to make the stretch between Second and Third avenues a designated permanent pedestrian plaza.

At Community Board 8's most recent full board meeting on Sept. 21, Assemblyman Dan Quart drove the point home.

"Community Board 8 and Community Board 6 have the least amount of park space in New York City," he said. "Zoning has brought more open space with development, but it cannot give us an open park. This is one of the most important issues that’s come before this board in many, many years."

Neighborhood Portrait is a collection of images that captures the uniqueness and beauty of our neighborhoods. In addition to photos from our neighborhood reporters, we’ve partnered with Daily Overview to showcase their unique satellite photography. You can sign up to receive more stunning photos from the Neighborhood Portrait series delivered directly to your inbox.