NYC Elder’s Sanctuary

/ Find the most suitable place for elderly living in UWS, NYC

GSAPP, Geographic Information Systems Instructor: Leah Meisterlin, Carsten Rodin Group Work, cooperated with Thanawat Phituksithkasem, Aruna Ananta Das Site: NYC, NY, USA Type: Research Fall, 2020

NYC Elder’s Sanctuary

New York is a city with an aging population and with the pandemic, the elderly face even more problems in their daily lives. Senior centers are closing making it difficult for the elderly to get access to their basic needs and to travel from place to place. In Manhattan, we aim to define the most liveable blocks for the elderly, where even during the current global COVID pandemic, they can maintain a high standard of living.

Our area of study is centered around the Morningside height and the Upper West Side from 59th street to 125th street roughly west of Central Park and Morningside Park. Our aim is two-fold: first, to define the favourable area in block level, to determine if it is currently matching the locations of the current elderly population.

Research question:

1. Where are the most favourable blocks for New York’s elderly, who live alone in Manhattan, as they pertain to factors like public space, public transportation, super markets and hospital?

2. In comparison to our research, what is the present density of elderly located in specific areas in New York City. Do they match the favourable areas or not?

Scope of the Research

Scope

Our area of study is centered around the Morningside height and the Upper West Side from 59th street to 125th street roughly west of Central Park and Morningside Park. Our aim is two-fold: first, to define the favorable area in block level, to determine if it is currently matching the locations of the current elderly population.

Hypothesis

We believe that blocks that have buildings with elevators, accessibility to public transport (factor: walking distance, elevators), accessibility to clear public space (factor: minimum activity), supermarket (factor: walking distance), elderly center, and hospital may be ideal locations for elderly to live in.

Methodology- Concept

We will identify the favorable blocks for elderly by using network operation and identify distance ranges from the “essential” facilities including hospital, food retail, subway entrance and park. Using a scoring system, we will then use map algebra to calculate the favorability of different areas. We find the ratio of buildings with elevators in a block, reclassify it to the same scoring system and overlay it with the shapefile from the previous operation. We will then compare the result with the existing density of population over 65 years old per census tract and analyze the result.

Scoring System

We would know the answer using the scoring system and by doing map algebra, we will be able to identify the favorable area and blocks according to our definition. By comparing it to the existing old population density, we would know how effective the support infrastructure is distributed.

Access to the Elevators

Our area of study is centered around the Morningside height and the Upper West Side from 59th street to 125th street roughly west of Central Park and Morningside Park. Our aim is two-fold: first, to define the favorable area in block level, to determine if it is currently matching the locations of the current elderly population.

We believe that blocks that have buildings with elevators, accessibility to public transport (factor: walking distance, elevators), accessibility to clear public space (factor: minimum activity), supermarket (factor: walking distance), elderly center, and hospital may be ideal locations for elderly to live in.

We will identify the favorable blocks for elderly by using network operation and identify distance ranges from the “essential” facilities including hospital, food retail, subway entrance and park. Using a scoring system, we will then use map algebra to calculate the favorability of different areas. We find the ratio of buildings with elevators in a block, reclassify it to the same scoring system and overlay it with the shapefile from the previous operation. We will then compare the result with the existing density of population over 65 years old per census tract and analyze the result.

We would know the answer using the scoring system and by doing map algebra, we will be able to identify the favorable area and blocks according to our definition. By comparing it to the existing old population density, we would know