Connector Between Randalls Island and Bronx Is to Open This Summer Connector
Full citation and abstract?
Hu, Winnie. "Connetor Between Randalls Island and Bronx Is to Open This Summer." The New York Times 29 July 2015: A16. The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 July 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
This New York Time’s article focuses on how the construction of a pedestrian and bike path from the Bronx to Randalls Island will supposedly increase community member’s access to green areas and parks. Greenways, another phrase used for these connectors, are one method New York City has developed to increase biking and walking as opposed to driving and the Bronx has one of the largest traffic flows in New York City. It is the city’s hope that this greenway will encourage more people to bike or walk to the green areas of Randalls Island.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project. Winnie Hu is a New York Time’s reporter. Starting in 2006, her expertise is now in education although previously it was in legal issues as a city hall writer. Her official title is “regional education reporter”. (Winnie Hu)
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report The greenway linking the Bronx to Randalls Island will increase access to Randalls Island from the Bronx, giving the generally lower economic class citizens more opportunities to experience green areas such as parks. It is argued that even though the Bronx is the closest geographically to the island, and yet has the least access, so this greenway will better the lives of the Bronx community members.
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
Supposed complaints from Bronx citizens that in order to get across to the island, it is necessary to go into Manhattan and take a bus or pedestrian bridg
According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation: to improve New York City as a whole means giving citizens more access to the waterfront and green area
The construction of the connector influenced the Haven Project which is increasing open spaces and green areas around the greenway and South Bron
A school takes children to Central Park (geographically, significantly farther away) than Randalls Island since it is so hard to access without the connecto
Interviews were also used with people, specifically a 15 year old skateboarder, who claimed they would go to the Island a lot more with the connector
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
Getting to Randalls Island has long been a sore point in the Bronx, where the lack of access is seen as more than just an inconvenience in a poor borough facing a health crisis from asthma, diabetes and obesity-related illnesses.
“It hasn’t existed for us,” Ms. Sardi said. “It doesn’t exist if we can’t get to it.
“For a community surrounded by water, not to have access to green space or the water itself is an injustice,” said Mychal Johnson
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report Most of the data was gathered through interviews. These interviews ranged from the founder of a community group in the South Bronx, to the vice president overseeing the project, to a teenage, skateboarding citizen of South Bronx who experiences getting to the island without the connector. Through these different interviews, the article was pulled together in a way of trying to show how a wide variety of people care about and support the construction of this connector.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
Aside from a passing statement written to yank on the heartstrings of those reading the article, health disparities are rarely brought up. As a matter of fact, it was only in the first sentence. However, equity issues underlie the whole article. There is a tone of inequality in the article, suggesting that people in Manhattan have easier access to this island than the Bronx, which is geographically closer, just because the Bronx is notoriously a lower economic class community. Very subtly it also brings up the current argument of the Bronx having such little access to waterfront. Not written in this article, but from previous research it is known that the reason for little access is all the waste treatment facilities along the Hudson River in the Bronx. So even though it’s not directly mentioned, the topic is definitely touched upon.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
This article was originally published in the New York Time’s hardcopy newspaper on July 29, 2015 under a different title, “Bike and Foot Route to Ease Bronx Residents’ Trip to Randalls Island”. It does not appear to have been referenced or discussed in any official capacity.
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
The article appears to be produced mostly by interviews and experience of Bronx citizens. As a newspaper article, it seems to get the point across without much scientific data, relying instead on the compassion of the reader.
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
Greenways: the South Bronx Greenway is mentioned in passing as being the large project within which this connector is being built. The greenway is one of the new ideas to reduce the amount of vehicles on New York City roads while still allowing community members access to green areas (South Bronx Greenway)
Waste Transfer Stations: South Bronx gets a large amount of New York City’s waste which is part of the restriction of waterfront access. It is interesting how different articles spin the essential dumping of waste in such a small area and how different the governance is there, the trucks haven’t been regulated yet unlike other parts of the city for example (South Bronx Waste)
Haven Project: a project of the New York Restoration Project to increase greenspaces to help clean the air children breathe when playing. This non-profit organization has designed and plans to construct green spaces such as parks and gardens mainly in New York City and Staten Island (New York Restoration Project)
Connector Between Randalls Island and Bronx Is to Open This Summer Connector
Hu, Winnie. "Connetor Between Randalls Island and Bronx Is to Open This Summer." The New York Times 29 July 2015: A16. The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 July 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
This New York Time’s article focuses on how the construction of a pedestrian and bike path from the Bronx to Randalls Island will supposedly increase community member’s access to green areas and parks. Greenways, another phrase used for these connectors, are one method New York City has developed to increase biking and walking as opposed to driving and the Bronx has one of the largest traffic flows in New York City. It is the city’s hope that this greenway will encourage more people to bike or walk to the green areas of Randalls Island.
Winnie Hu is a New York Time’s reporter. Starting in 2006, her expertise is now in education although previously it was in legal issues as a city hall writer. Her official title is “regional education reporter”. (Winnie Hu)
The greenway linking the Bronx to Randalls Island will increase access to Randalls Island from the Bronx, giving the generally lower economic class citizens more opportunities to experience green areas such as parks. It is argued that even though the Bronx is the closest geographically to the island, and yet has the least access, so this greenway will better the lives of the Bronx community members.
Most of the data was gathered through interviews. These interviews ranged from the founder of a community group in the South Bronx, to the vice president overseeing the project, to a teenage, skateboarding citizen of South Bronx who experiences getting to the island without the connector. Through these different interviews, the article was pulled together in a way of trying to show how a wide variety of people care about and support the construction of this connector.
Aside from a passing statement written to yank on the heartstrings of those reading the article, health disparities are rarely brought up. As a matter of fact, it was only in the first sentence. However, equity issues underlie the whole article. There is a tone of inequality in the article, suggesting that people in Manhattan have easier access to this island than the Bronx, which is geographically closer, just because the Bronx is notoriously a lower economic class community. Very subtly it also brings up the current argument of the Bronx having such little access to waterfront. Not written in this article, but from previous research it is known that the reason for little access is all the waste treatment facilities along the Hudson River in the Bronx. So even though it’s not directly mentioned, the topic is definitely touched upon.
This article was originally published in the New York Time’s hardcopy newspaper on July 29, 2015 under a different title, “Bike and Foot Route to Ease Bronx Residents’ Trip to Randalls Island”. It does not appear to have been referenced or discussed in any official capacity.
The article appears to be produced mostly by interviews and experience of Bronx citizens. As a newspaper article, it seems to get the point across without much scientific data, relying instead on the compassion of the reader.