Jackson Heights Kids Have Few Playgrounds: Report

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — Kids in the Jackson Heights area have few places to play, a new report says.

There are just four playgrounds for every 10,000 kids in Jackson Heights and North Corona, according to a study by City Comptroller Scott Stringer's office. The neighborhood ranks fifth on a list of the 15 areas in the city with the fewest playgrounds for children who live there, the data shows.

A number of those playgrounds are in substandard condition. Parks inspectors rated more than a quarter of the playgrounds in Jackson Heights and North Corona as "unacceptable," meaning they're dirty or have more than one serious safety hazard, the comptroller's office found.

The Parks Department did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Many of the districts with the fewest playgrounds had more young children in 2017 than they did in 2010s. In Jackson Heights and North Corona, the population of kids nine and under increased 7% during that time, according to the report.

The disparity suggests the city has failed to properly prepare for changing demographics, Stringer said.

"Playgrounds are essential public spaces, offering children a place to socialize, learn, be active, and exercise their imaginations," Stringer said in a statement. "But our findings reveal stark disparities in access to these critical public spaces in New York City."

Stringer called on the city to increase the parks department's budget for playground maintenance and operations to make existing playgrounds cleaner and safer. He also wants the city to build 100 playgrounds in the next five years on little-used city streets.

The comptroller's report may bolster a grassroots campaign for a car-free street by Travers Park in Jackson Heights, which locals say has a dearth of green spaces.

The city had long planned to ban cars on that block to connect Travers Park with the Garden School and Rory Staunton Field across the street, but then a local car dealership opened a service entrance on the street.