Ah, no one told you… Central Park sits where an affluent black community once existed (Seneca village), but was seized using eminent domain and razed.
Seneca Village was 5 blocks. Central Park is 153 blocks.
The 5 blocks seem like a drop in the bucket, they probably could have just carved it out and let it be right? Oh nevermind, the rampant racism, class war, and general greed got in the way.
but did this include their farmland?
Just read a bit on it and it’s not farmland. However, the story is pretty grim where they tried to build the park elsewhere but rich families pushed back. Then, among the lot they finally chose, there was communities of slaves and european immigrants. They used racism to make their eviction look better referring to them as insects among other things. Landlords (20% of the pop) got compensation but squatters and renters did not.
Plenty of other better examples of thriving black communities being destroyed by eminent domain by the US however. https://historyfortomorrow.org/story/eminent-domain-and-the-displacement-of-black-communities/
Pretty sure I read it was placed where the affluent black community was and displaced them. Because racism.
Had the wealthy black families been on the Hudson River we’d probably have left side park instead.
Green spaces have cooling affects around them, so all sides benefit if it’s in the center
It’s there because wealthy wanted to get rid off Seneca Village, not to homes near the river.
Honestly if it were on the shore there would be no end of developers clamoring to build into the park or at least along the shore edge of the park. The park would be whittled down to a few spots with a view available to thr general public. Eventually some politician would cave to campaign donations from a wealthy developer.
None Apartment with Left Park.
Real estate on 4 sides is worth more than on only 3 sides
Looks like left side has a decent park.
That’s also not on the river. It’s next to it.
Peripheral Park
