The Union Square Greenmarket has been a popular destination for New York City residents for over four decades, providing a platform for farmers to sell their locally-grown produce directly to consumers. In 2011, the market began accepting food scraps for composting, making it one of the first drop-off locations for residential food waste in the city. The city's Department of Sanitation partnered with GrowNYC, the nonprofit organization that operates the Greenmarket, to establish a permanent drop-off site for food scraps at Union Square (GrowNYC). The conclusion could be drawn that the primary purpose of placing a food scrap drop-off location at Union Square is to assist the merchants of the Union Square Greenmarket.
Based on the map, it can be infered that there is a correlation between the location of NYC subway entrances and the number of restaurants in the area of Union Square. Within a 0.5-mile radius around the Union Square food scrap drop-off location, a total of 151 restaurants and 50 subway entrances were found. In fact, it was observed that the closer the location to the subway entrance, the higher the concentration of restaurants, while areas without a subway entrance had significantly fewer dining options. It is clear that there are more restaurants between the Madison Square park’s and Union Square park’s subway entrances than other areas. And there are barely any restaurants in the Southwest area.
The data indicates a direct relationship between the number of restaurants and nearby train station entrances. However, the reasons for varying subway entrance numbers remain unclear and could be influenced by factors such as population density, level of activity, and zoning laws. Areas with high foot traffic and dense populations may have more entrances. It would be beneficial to explore how subway entrances relate to other urban amenities such as parks and landmarks in the Union Square area.
The entire Manhattan has 66 Food Scrap Drop-off locations, 749 subway entrances, and 2872 restaurants. After examining the data for Manhattan holistically, it is easy to find that the lower area of Manhattan has the most densely distributed Food Scrap Drop-off locations. At the same time, we can also find that the midtown area of New York has the most densely distributed restaurants and subway exits but barely any food scrap drop-off locations. The reason for this distribution is due to population density and the attribution of area. Lower Manhattan is densely populated, with numerous residential buildings and businesses located in a relatively small area. This creates a greater demand for food scrap drop-off locations to serve a large number of residents in the area (New York City Department of Sanitation). However, Midtown Manhattan is the heart of the city, which includes many iconic landmarks and attractions, such as Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and many of the city's most famous museums and theaters. Because of the greater number of entertainment and tourist attractions, Midtown Manhattan may have relatively fewer residents, leading to a lower demand for food scrap drop-off locations. As a result, the area has more restaurants and subway exits to accommodate the large volume of tourists and foot traffic.
Citation
GrowNYC. "Manhattan - Union Square Greenmarket." GrowNYC, accessed May 1, 2023, https://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket/manhattan-union-square-m.
MyGeoData Cloud. "Restaurants in New York County, New York." Accessed May 1, 2023. https://mygeodata.cloud/data/download/osm/restaurants/united-states-of-america--new-york/new-york-county/new-york.
City of New York. "Food Scrap Drop-Off Locations in NYC Map." NYC OpenData, accessed May 1, 2023, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Environment/Food-Scrap-Drop-Off-Locations-in-NYC-Map-/qfn2-4jea.
City of New York. "Subway Entrances." NYC OpenData, accessed May 1, 2023, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Transportation/Subway-Entrances/drex-xx56.
City of New York. "Road." NYC OpenData, accessed May 1, 2023, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/City-Government/road/svwp-sbcd.
