Living near a park (New York, York: apartment, neighborhoods, dangerous)

[ogplife]

I had this conversation with a friend about an apartment I was looking at across the street from Jackie Robinson Park. I thought it would be great living right across the street from the park (with a young child). She thought it was completely unsafe (for girlfriend and daughter). Anyway what do you think. Is it a good idea to live across the street from a park with a family or unsafe?

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by ogplife

.... Anyway what do you think? Is it a good idea to live across the street from a park with a family or unsafe?

It would depend on the park and the neighborhood I guess. I certainly don't think you could just say that it's dangerous to live across the street from any park.

I live across the street from Bronx Park and it's great for kids and families.In addition to The Bronx Zoo and The New York Botanical Garden it has many play areas,a Little League field,soccer fields,ball fields,a skate park,picnic areas,sledding hills and many other recreational areas.Tons of kids and parents are in there all the time,all year round.Nobody considers it unsafe and it's not unsafe.Many people actually move to the neighborhood to be near it.

I guess if you were talking about a run down or neglected park in an iffy neighborhood it might be different but you can't make any blanket statements one way or the other.It has to be judged on a case by case basis.

[gvillager]

Living across the street from a park = good.

Living across the street from a park in a bad neighborhood = bad.

[jcoltrane]

In good, especially gentrified, neighborhoods parks are a highly desired asset to the neighborhood and increase the value of hosing on the surrounding blocks.

In a so-called 'bad' neighborhood, parks are where bad things happen, where bad people congregate, where drug dealing and drug addicts loiter, and where bullets fly across open space indiscriminately!