Potential for Transit-Accessible Housing and Jobs in Long Island’s Downtown and Station Areas
Embargoed for Release 10:00 pm January 20, 2010
Media Contact:
Deanna Morton, InfiniTech Public Relations
516.829.5502
dmorton@infinitechpronline.com
CUNY Graduate Center:
Steve Romalewski, CUNY Mapping
212-817-2033
sromalewski@gc.cuny.edu
Long Island Index Interactive Maps Feature New Information from 2010 Report
“Places to Grow: An Analysis of the Potential for Transit-Accessible Housing and Jobs in Long Island’s Downtowns and Station Areas”
The Long Island Index, in collaboration with the CUNY Mapping Service at the Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center, has released several new interactive mapping features on www.longislandindex.org. Launched simultaneously with the release of the Long Island Index 2010 Report, “Places to Grow: An Analysis of the Potential for Transit- Accessible Housing and Jobs in Long Island’s Downtowns and Station Areas”, the new features include valuable information about Long Island’s downtowns including:
1. Downtown redevelopment potential: the maps highlight the potential for revitalizing key downtowns and station areas to address the region’s need for new jobs, housing, public spaces, and recreational facilities. Information for the more than 100 downtowns and station areas included in the Long Island Index 2010 report can be accessed by clicking on a specific village on the map or selecting one from the drop down list.
2. Regional views of downtown opportunities: the “Regional Views” menu now enables you to map four types of downtown redevelopment categories across Long Island: High Potential for Redevelopment; Moderate Potential for Redevelopment; Station Areas Outside of Downtowns; and Unknown or Low Potential.
The interactive maps were also updated with demographic data and school district enrollment data island-wide. These data updates include:
Detailed age profiles: the maps show population patterns for each major age group: 5 and younger, school age (6 – 17 years old), the “brain drain” cohort (18 – 34 years old), 35 – 54 years old, and 55 and older (based on the 2000 Census). Details for each village’s population in these age groupings are displayed when you select your community.
Historical school district enrollment: district-level enrollment change between the 1996-97 and 2006-07 school years is mapped for three grade levels: K-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th.
The Long Island Index created this online resource to help foster a regional approach to addressing Long Island’s challenges, while giving all Long Islanders a new way of seeing and understanding their communities. These mapping tools allow users to choose which data elements they want to see in relation to each other. This creative application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology enables users to mix and match data to suit their individual needs and reveal complex relationships in easily understood ways. The visualization tools allow users to quickly find information without having to search multiple sites and resources. Access is free, and people can sign up for updates as the feature is expanded. Tutorials are available online for quick reference on how to navigate the maps and access the data.
See Long Island Like You Have Never Seen it Before at www.longislandindex.org.