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Reports:
Mapping Poverty
The 1.4 million New Yorkers living in poverty are concentrated in certain neighborhoods, according to "Mapping Poverty in New York City," a report by the Community Service Society and the United Way. Half the city’s poor people live in neighborhoods where the poverty rate is at least 24.8 percent (compared to a citywide rate of 19.2 percent), and one quarter live in neighborhoods -- all in Upper Manhattan, the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn -- where more than a third of the households have incomes below the poverty level. Using maps, the report looks at how poverty rates correlate with other factors, such as rent costs and educational attainment. (04/14/2008)
Increase in Homelessness
More than 9,000 homeless families went to shelters each night in 2007, making it the worst year for family homelessness in recent history, according to the 2007 State of the Homeless Report by the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group. The report also found that 102,187 different New Yorkers slept in homeless shelters at some point during fiscal years 2007, a 5.8 increase from the previous year and a 23.4 percent increase since FY 2002. The group blamed rising housing costs, the worsening economy and some city policies for the increase. (03/31/2008)
Obesity and Diabetes Rise
Adults in the city gained a collective 10 million pounds between 2002 and 2004, according to a new Health Department report. Obesity and diabetes rates both jumped 17 percent over that time period, the report also showed. Nationally, the obesity rate rose six percent while diabetes diagnoses remained flat. Health Department researchers found the consumption of sugar-sweetened soda to a be a major contributor to the rise. (03/27/2008)
Shmutz on the Subways
The L Train has the city's cleanest subway cars and the E and Q Trains the dirtiest, according to a survey by the Straphangers Campaign. The advocacy group's annual "subway shmutz" survey found the number of clean cars in the system as a whole inched up slightly, from 47 percent in 2005 to 50 percent last year. The group found huge disparities between lines, with 88 percent of L Train cars considered clean, compared to just 29 percent of cars on the E and Q. (03/26/2008)
After School Program Evaluation
A recently implemented after school initiative has been meeting its goals, according to a second year evaluation released last week by the Department of Youth and Community Development. Among its reported achievements, the Out-of-School Time initiative: served a third more school-age children in its second year; 80 percent of parents were satisfied with the programs; and 85 percent of children enrolled were high-needs students. (02/28/2008)
Surveying Parents
A majority of parents selected reducing class size as the one thing the city could do that would best improve the schools, according to a survey released by the advocacy group Class Size Matters. The report provides results from a telephone poll of a random sample of about 600 and responses from more than 1,000 other parents who voluntarily filled out the survey on-line. The report found differences of opinion between those who responded and the Bloomberg administration on a number of issues, including mayoral control and use of standardized tests. (02/19/2008)
Preliminary Mayor's Management Report
An interim look at the performance of various city agencies was released yesterday in a report called the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report. Published annually, it takes a look at the city's performance in the first four months of the fiscal year and forecasts performance expectations. Much of the information can be broken down by individual agency, issue, or community. Some significant highlights were: Sewer back up complaints jumped by 23 percent; the average response time to heat complaints rose by 50 percent (although stays within the goal of seven hours); and major felony crimes in schools were nearly a third lower than the same quarter last year. (02/15/2008)
Middle School Achievement
Despite the Bloomberg administration's focus on education, student performance in middle schools has shown modest improvement at best, and the gap between white students and black and Latino students remains wide, according to a report by the Coalition for Educational Justice. The report, "Our Children Can't Wait," finds only 30 percent of black and Latino eighth-graders meet state standards in reading and writing, compared to about 60 percent of white students. It also cites a gap in teacher quality between schools in high-poverty areas and other schools. The report includes a number of recommendations. (01/22/2008)
City Still Nation's Safest
New York retains the title as the safest of the nation's 25 largest cities for the first six months of 2007, according to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report. Of the 241 cities with a population over 100,000, New York is safer than 227. Dallas ranks as the most dangerous of the top ten largest cities. (01/09/2008)
Public Advocate's Report
The Office of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum has released its 2007 annual report on complaints received by the office's Ombudsman Unit. The office received almost 11,000 complaints last fiscal year. The largest number came from New Yorkers having problems getting social services such as food stamps and Medicaid. (11/07/2007)
City Schools Get Grades
More than 1,200 schools received letter grades from A through F yesterday in the city's first-ever report cards, which were released by Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. The report shows of the 1,224 schools that were evaluated, 23 percent earned an A, 38 percent received a B, 25 percent earned a C, 8 percent received a D and 4 percent earned an F. Bloomberg said the 50 schools with failing grades could close. Queens had the highest percentage of A elementary and middle schools, while Manhattan had the highest percentage of A high schools. The grades were based on three factors: school environment, student performance and student progress. Student progress was given the most weight of the three. Schools that received a D or an F will be required to submit plans that detail improvement proposals. (11/06/2007)
Minority Health Shows Progress, But Not Enough
A report by the state Department of Health shows progress in reducing health problems in minority groups, but disparities still remain when compared with the entire population. Comparing data from between 2003 and 2004 and figures from a decade earlier, the study found reduced fatality rates for minorities in HIV/AIDS, asthma, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, male colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. But the report also found higher rates of childhood obesity among white, black and Hispanic populations and an increase in low birthrate births for all groups except Hispanics. (10/01/2007)
Hospitalization, Death Rates Rise in Poor Areas
The rate of hospitalization and death from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes has risen substantially quicker in poor neighborhoods than it has in more affluent ones, according to a new report by the city comptroller. Diabetes has proven worst for disadvantaged neighborhoods, more than doubling in five poor areas while the city wide rate increased 82 percent. But while childhood asthma remains very high for poor neighborhoods, it has plummeted dramatically there. (09/28/2007)
Grading Beaches
New Yorkers for Parks has issued a report card on the seven Department of Parks and Recreation beaches. The advocacy group rated them in four areas – bathrooms, drinking fountains, pathways and shoreline – and concluded, “Overall, beach performance is poor.” Midland Park on Staten Island got the highest grades, while, under the report’s ratings, Coney Island/Brighton Beach and Wolfe’s Pond scored worst. (07/18/2007)
Library Funding: Subsidies Rebound, Disparities Remain
Over the last seven years, the inflation-adjusted value of the city’s subsidy to the three public library systems — Brooklyn, New York, and Queens — fell by 8.4 percent. The subsidy has now been restored to the 2000 level, but this report from the Independent Budget Office finds that there are disparities in the allocation of the subsidy among the three library systems. (07/17/2007)
New York Has Highest Housing Closing Costs in Nation
For the third year in a row, New York has the most expensive mortgage origination and closing fees in the country, according to Bankrate.com's annual survey. A resident of New York City getting a $200,000 mortgage would pay an average $3,830 in origination, title and closing costs, according to Bankrate's survey of lenders. (07/13/2007)
New York City Childhood Fatality Report
This report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene takes a five-year retrospective look at intentional and unintentional injury deaths among city children, with a particular focus on the single largest contributor: motor vehicle related deaths.
Although child motor vehicle-related deaths in the city are lower than the national average and have declined during the past decade, rates are still disconcertingly high and each death is preventable. Most motor vehicle-related deaths were among child pedestrians struck by moving vehicles; nearly 60 children were fatally struck on local streets in the past 5 years, many of whom were playing in or near streets, especially during warm weather evening hours. (06/15/2007)
Grading Neighborhood Parks
New Yorkers for Parks has released its yearly report card on the neighborhood parks around the city, considering such park features as playgrounds, bathrooms and pathways. The report is designed to focus on these local, often small parks, which are entirely dependent on public funding and do not receive as much attention as some of the city’s larger park areas. (05/10/2007)
City's Air Quality
A report by the American Lung Association shows New York City's air is even more polluted than it was last year. Last year, New York City was ranked the 15th-worst region in the country for daily particle pollution. Pollution levels are even worse this year, according to the report. (05/02/2007)
Manhattan Vacant Housing Survey
A survey by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer finds that there are a significant number of vacant apartment buildings and empty lots in the borough that could support affordable housing and generate additional tax revenue for the city. The report found 1,723 buildings with vacancies and 505 empty lots, most of which are located above 96th Street in Northern Manhattan. (04/24/2007)
State of the City's Housing and Neighborhoods
This annual report from the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy looks at the quality of life in New York City's neighborhoods, drawing upon more than 1,800 types of data, from more than a dozen different government sources. Among the key findings is that less than five percent of home sales are affordable to New Yorkers earning the city's median income. (04/13/2007)
Counting Greenhouse Gas Emissions
An inventory of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, released yesterday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, finds that the city’s emissions in 2005 accounted for approximately 1 percent of the U.S. total. While per capita emissions were far lower here than in the United States as whole, they have been increasing in recent years, the inventory found. The figures on the emissions, which are considered largely responsible for global warming, will serve as the benchmark for reducing such pollution by 30 percent between now and 2030, a target the mayor set late last year. (04/11/2007)
Traffic and Health Problems
Over two million New Yorkers live within 500 feet of a major roadway, putting them at risk for pollution-related health problems, according to this report by Environmental Defense. "All Choked Up: Heavy Traffic, Dirty Air, and the Risk to New Yorkers" sums up the science of these risks, and suggests some solutions. (03/29/2007)
Fewer Female Smokers in NYC
Smoking is down sharply among New York City women, according to data released by the Health Department. The number of female smokers has fallen by 123,000 in New York City, down from 20 percent in 2002 to 16 percent in 2005. The decline in female smoking was greatest among women who are white, 18 to 24 years old, and living in Manhattan. The information is from the 2005 Community Health Survey, a survey of 10,000 adults in all five boroughs. (03/23/2007)
Schools Needing Improvment
The New York State Department of Education yesterday announced it had placed 35 more schools, nine of them in New York City, on its list of failing schools, known as Schools Under Registration Review. At the same time, state education commissioner Richard Mills announced he was removing six city schools from the list. This brings the total number of schools in the state on the list to 65, with 35 of them in the city. (03/16/2007)
NYC Hospital Admissions
Although non-residents of New York City account for a small share of all hospital admissions in the city, they represent a significant portion of admissions for some clinical conditions (cancer, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and cardiac procedures) and at some hospitals. Moreover, because non-residents are often admitted for more favorably reimbursed tertiary care procedures, they represent a significant source of revenues at several of New York City's hospitals. (03/15/2007)
Is The City Ending Chronic Homelessness?
The number of homeless families living in shelters reached a record high last month despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s high-profile campaign to reduce chronic homelessness, according to this report by advocacy group Coalition for the Homeless. 9,287 families stayed in shelters in February, the highest number since records began being kept in 1979, and a 17.6 percent rise from February 2005. (03/08/2007)
Delivering City Services
The administration has released its 2007 preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, which provides statistics on the delivery of city services during the first four months of the fiscal year. According to the mayor, the figures “demonstrate that we are continuing to build on five years of successful policies and are moving the city in the right direction." Among the findings: homicides decreased slightly; streets are cleaner than ever; calls to the city’s 311 hot lines for non-emergencies increased by 7 percent; and the number of families entering the homeless shelter system rose. Most press accounts, however, focused on the 21 percent increase in major felonies in public schools. Much of that rise was in thefts of valuable items, such as laptop computers. (02/16/2007)
Crime in Parks
New Yorkers for Parks issued crime data for the city's 20 largest parks. The most number of felony crime complaints between April and September of last year were at Flushing Meadows Park (35), followed by Prospect Park (25), which included a murder. (01/22/2007)
Fiscal Picture in NYC Brightens
"The city's short term-fiscal picture appears even brighter than the Mayor's most recent projection," writes the Independent Budget Office in its most recent annual assessment of the city government's finances. The report predicts a surplus of $2.1 billion this year and a $688 million surplus in 2008. It attributes the windfall to strong performances by Wall Street and the real estate market. (01/11/2007)
High Schools' Annual Report
The Citywide Council on High Schools’ Annual Report recognizes the efforts of the New York City Department of Education in focusing on student achievement, accountability, and additional facilities but, in a detailed analysis of the education department's graduation and class size data, finds “a cloud of legitimacy over these numbers.” In the case of the department's graduation rate methodologies, the report concludes that they “differ from other reputable methods and... result in the most favorable statistic possible.” (11/20/2006)
City's Economy Slows in 2nd Quarter of 2006
New York City's economy is showing signs of slowdown but a recession is unlikely, this report from the city's comptroller's office finds. The slowing growth is due largely to a cooling real estate market, it argues. The report also focuses on the tourism industry as a sector of the economy that is performing well. (11/02/2006)
Health Profiles Of 42 NYC Neighborhoods
The New York City Department of Health And Mental Hygiene has released its "2006 New York City Community Health Profiles," which offers a look at the health of 42 neighborhoods, accessible by zip code, by borough, and by 10 major health issues. For example, the neighborhood with the largest percentage of obese residents is East New York, Brooklyn (31 percent); the small percentage of obese residents is on the Upper East Side and Gramercy (eight percent). Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca (which are grouped together) have among the lowest annual death rates in the city (a rate that decreased 20 percent over the past decade), but the highest rate of child lead poisoning in the city, and residents of these three neighborhoods were more than 60 percent more likely to engage in binge drinking in any given month than New Yorkers overall. (10/31/2006)
Rating New York
The M14A, which crosses Manhattan via 14th Street, is the city’s slowest bus, traveling at about 3.9 miles per our, or just a little faster than many people walk, according to a report by the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives. In addition to rating the slowest buses, the report looks at the reliability of bus service, particularly whether the route has bunches and gaps and in services. The M1, which goes through Manhattan on Madison an Fifth Avenues, was rated the least reliable. (10/25/2006)
Rating New York
The M14A, which crosses Manhattan via 14th Street, is the city’s slowest bus, traveling at about 3.9 miles per our, or just a little faster than many people walk, according to a report by the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives. In addition to rating the slowest buses, the report looks at the reliability of bus service, particularly whether the route has bunches and gaps and in services. The M1, which goes through Manhattan on Madison an Fifth Avenues, was rated the least reliable. (10/25/2006)
Math Scores
The longer New York City students stay in school the worse they do in math, according to scores on last academic year’s standardized math tests released last week. While more than three-quarters of third graders met state standards for math, only about 39 percent of eighth graders did. Students across the state had a similar decline, from 80.5 percent meeting state standards in third grade, to about 54 percent achieving that level by the end of middle school. (10/18/2006)
Math Scores
The longer New York City students stay in school the worse they do in math, according to scores on last academic year’s standardized math tests released last week. While more than three-quarters of third graders met state standards for math, only about 39 percent of eighth graders did. Students across the state had a similar decline, from 80.5 percent meeting state standards in third grade, to about 54 percent achieving that level by the end of middle school. (10/18/2006)
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