Planning & GIS Intern, New Yorkers for Parks

Organization: New Yorkers for Parks

Position Title: Planning & GIS Intern

Location: New York City, New York

Dates and compensation: This is a 26 week paid ($14/hour), part-time internship beginning the week of June 1, 2015 and concluding December 11, 2015. The initial internship period will be structured to end on September 4, 2015. NY4P may extend an offer to the selected intern to remain for the balance of the internship period at its option. There will be breaks during the weeks of July 6-10 and November 23-27.

The position requires three days of work per week, including several days of weekend work throughout the internship period.

Application Deadline: Position open until filled

Description: New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) is the independent citywide research and advocacy organization championing quality parks and open spaces for all New Yorkers in all neighborhoods. For over 100 years, New Yorkers for Parks has advocated for the city’s parks, beaches and playgrounds.

NY4P regularly hosts interns to assist with research & planning projects relating to the efficient and equitable delivery of public park services in New York City. Interns will spend time conducting research and writing on open space planning issues and will also be asked to assist with field work, other outreach and advocacy work and other organizational activities as needed.

Responsibilities:

Starting in the summer of 2015, NY4P will be launching two major research project fieldwork sessions, culminating with data analysis and report writing in the fall. This position will support NY4P staff by conducting fieldwork, collecting physical data, and contributing to the writing and editing of the project reports.

The Open Space Index is a set of 15 population-adjusted targets for park access and environmental sustainability designed specifically for New York City neighborhoods. NY4P will conduct an open space assessment of the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn using our OSI methodology.

In response to the city’s commitment to implement physical, maintenance, and programming improvements at a group of historically under-funded parks across the five boroughs through the NYC Parks Department Community Parks Initiative (CPI), NY4P will be conducting a baseline Inventory of CPI Sites. This Inventory, which will be conducted based on Report Card on Parks methodology used by NY4P since 2002 to track maintenance and safety conditions at sites across the city, will provide baseline data against which future conditions at these parks will be measured.

This position’s scope of work includes the following:

• Collecting field data for NY4P’s Brownsville OSIand Inventory of CPI SitesOSI fieldwork requires block-by-block canvassing to assess and measure each open space in Brownsville. For the Inventory, the physical survey will include precise documentation of open space conditions using tablet computers and digital cameras. Fieldwork for both projects may also include in-person interviews with park visitors and systematic social observation of park use.
• Creating maps to support the Open Space Indexand Inventory data collection and analysis.
• Gathering supplemental neighborhood data, including US Census data and land use patterns.
• Contributing to writing and editing content for the OSIand Inventory
• Monitoring and evaluating legislation, rezoning and planning actions, real estate development plans, and community efforts affecting parks and greening issues. This may include assisting the Research & Planning Analyst in the composition of briefing literature and testimony.
• Performing other tasks to support ongoing NY4P projects, as needed.

Qualifications: NY4P seeks a self-starting graduate student who has strong research and people skills, clear and polished writing ability and excellent computer skills. Qualified candidates will either have completed or be working on a graduate degree in urban planning, public policy, geography, sociology, or a related social science or public administration field. Candidates must have the ability to initiate and complete long-term projects, as well as the flexibility to work as part of a collaborative office environment. Candidates must be able and willing to spend extended periods of time in city parks in summer conditions and travel throughout all five boroughs on mass transit. This position requires fluency with ESRI Arc Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Candidates should be proficient in all Windows-based programs. Familiarity with the Adobe Creative Suite is preferred.

How to Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, 2-3 sample maps, and references as a single PDF attachment to Lucy Robson, Research & Planning Analyst, at [email protected].