Mapping Green Space Access: Turn Data into Community Action

A workshop that uses NYC Open Data to map green space access gaps, not just where parks exist, but who can actually reach them. We’ll identify transit barriers, unsafe pedestrian routes, and vacant lots with conversion potential, then equip participants with concrete tools to turn that analysis into community advocacy.

The core question isn’t whether parks are near enough, it’s whether people can access them. A park two miles away with no bus route might as well not exist for the people who need it most. Participants will learn to map those gaps and identify actionable solutions: Which bus route needs extending? Which vacant lot could become a neighborhood green space? Which crosswalk is missing? This workshop is about democratizing spatial analysis so that communities, not just planners, have the data to advocate for themselves.

By the end, participants will have learned what it takes to create a working map of access gaps in a neighborhood of their choosing, a set of targeted recommendations, and guidance on how to present that data to the decision-makers who can act on it.

This event will be held at the Little Red School House, 272 Avenue of the Americas.