Do We Listen? An Exploration of Social Distancing in NYC Parks
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of changes to New York City from its usual day to day hustle & bustle. Subway ridership is down 90% of its usual riders, rents in Manhattan are falling quickly while apartment vacancies are at a peak, and even foot traffic is down in many NYC neighborhoods. In the early days of the pandemic, New Yorkers were encouraged to stay at home by Governor Cuomo’s NY on Pause initiative. But as spring turned to summer, the weather warmed and restrictions were lifted, New Yorkers gradually began to leave their apartments for socially distant and outdoor activities, and New York City Parks became a major reprieve during pandemic life.
Enter the Social Distance Ambassador
In May 2020, NYC created a team of 2,300 city employees to serve as “Social Distance Ambassadors”, pulling on employees from across city agencies to replace the NYPD as the face of social distancing enforcement in NYC Parks. The goal was to avoid confrontation between law enforcement and New Yorkers, educate people on social distancing best practices using a friendly face, and hand out free face masks. Summer 2020 in New York City was also marked by massive #BlackLivesMatter protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Although the Social Distance Ambassador program premiered in New…
