the actual prices of the properties (Wall & Rothschild,
2011). Despite some compensation for their lost land,
it can be argued that New York City did not properly
address the needs of the citizens of Seneca Village.
Black people living in New York at the time, according
to Jaynes (2005), "were the worst-housed segment
of the New York population, and most [Black people]
lived in appalling conditions." Seneca Village offered
affordable opportunities for land ownership and posi-
tive multiethnic relations, as well as an opportunity to
live in a healthy community. Through land seizure, the
support structure within Seneca Village was fractured.
Since the creation of Central Park, archaeological
excavations have uncovered items from the fami-
lies who lived in Seneca Village (Wall & Rothschild,
2011). While the history of Seneca Village remained
largely unknown during the 1900s, in 2001, the
Central Park Conservancy commemorated Seneca
Village with a plaque within the park (Jaynes, 2005),
and the Conservancy has in more recent years devel-
oped programs, exhibits, events, and digital content
related to Seneca Village, which can be viewed here.
Discussion
While we tend to herald large parks as places of refuge
and comfort, planning and management must recognize
the impacts that historic development has had on under-
represented and vulnerable communities. It can be easy
to push urban forestry and urban planning objectives
without due consultation with the affected communities.
With the increased dependency on technology-heavy
consultation processes, such as Zoom or Twitter polls,
the voice of some community members can be lost
to technological illiteracy or inaccessible platforms.
A reoccurring issue in urban forest management that
has made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic is
the forceful eviction of homeless congregate encamp-
ments in public parks. While the latter is under a
different governance structure with different legal
theory than Seneca Village, both evictions share the
theme, or narrative, of how public parks fit into the
concept of "for the good of the people." While it is
well established both societally and academically
that parks benefit people who visit them, the parks
displace what I argue is a greater benefit: housing
for a smaller, yet more vulnerable, community.
How do we approach planning and management deci-
sions when we are pitting minor benefits for many
against major benefits for few? This question is best
addressed when we recognize the vulnerability and
underrepresentation of these groups in the plan-
ning process. Yet, this process is seldom taught. We
approach ecosystem service analyses without rec-
ognizing how some can be mutually exclusive. When
such situations arise, it is important to mindfully and
respectfully engage all stakeholders to understand the
human costs that the decisions will have if undertaken.
In acknowledging and recognizing these impacts, we can
work to better recognize and address systemic inequal-
ities in urban social frameworks. By incorporating this
learned knowledge into education, we can help to ensure
that the future generations of urban foresters and
urban planners have the skills to work collaboratively
and respectfully with a diversity of stakeholders.
References
Beck, T. (2013). Principles of Ecological
Landscape Design. Island Press.
Coroner's Report for John Richards, a Black Man.
(1804, January 20). Historical Documents Collection,
Queens College, City University of New York
Elsenstadt, P. (2005). African Americans. In P.
Elsenstadt (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of New York
State (pp. 18-25): Syracuse University Press.
Jaynes, G. D. (2005). Seneca Village. In G. D. Jaynes (Ed.),
Encyclopedia of African American Society: SAGE Publications.
Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, (1799).
Vox. (2020, January 20). The lost neighborhood under New
York's Central Park [Video file]. In Vox, The lost neigh-
borhood under New York's Central Park [Video file].
Wall, D. D., & Rothschild, N. A. (2011). The Seneca Village
Archaeological Excavations, summer 2011. African Diaspora
Archaeology Network Newsletter, September 2011.
White, S. (1991). Somewhat More Independent:
The End of Slavery in New York City, 1770-
1810. University of Georgia Press.
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