Jamaica's Story


PLANNING TOPICS

The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan team outlined six overarching topics to steer community discussions, planning, and research efforts.


Transportation

Public Realm & Open Space

Public Health & Safety

Housing

Economic Opportunity & Education

Arts & Culture



TRANSPORTATION AND CONNECTIVITY



Jamaica is one of the city’s most transit-accessible points, providing daily transportation to thousands of commuters. The majority of workers in the study area use public transportation as their means of transportation to work, with a mean travel time to work of 48 minutes.

Downtown Jamaica is served by the JFK AirTrain, Long Island Rail Road, four subway lines, and over 40 MTA bus routes. The study area also contains a series of critical corridors, connecting points throughout South Queens and beyond.



PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACE



Parks and open spaces promote health, well-being, and fun, making them critical assets for Jamaica's residents, visitors, and other community members. The plan study area is home to 14 parks, totaling 29.2 acres. Some of the significant parks in the area include Rufus King Park and St. Albans Park. Several smaller green spaces are also located in the area, including playgrounds, 2 community gardens, totaling 0.42 acres, cemeteries, and green streets.

Street trees in the area also improve the physical environment and dramatically increase Jamaica's overall quality of life. Approximately 3,700 street trees are planted in the plan area, creating 135.9 acres of canopy coverage.



PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY



There are a number of factors that create health and safety in Jamaica including access to healthy foods, education, housing, healthcare, open space and many others. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Community Health Profiles share data about health in neighborhoods. In Jamaica, 79% of people self reported that their heath is good, very good or excellent. Jamaica residents also self reported that 78% of adults think that their neighbors are willing to help one another. But Jamaica residents also face health inequities. The average surface temperature in Jamaica is much higher than the Queens or city average, and a lower percent of older adults have air conditioning in their homes, making Jamaica residents vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. Asthma Emergency Department Visits for children ages 5-17 in Jamaica are higher than other parts of Queens. Hospitalizations related to injuries from assaults capture the consequences of community violence. Jamaica has a rate of assault-related hospitalizations that is higher than the citywide rate. The jail incarceration rate in Jamaica is more than double the rate for Queens, and it’s higher than the rate for NYC overall.


Jamaica's major healthcare infrastructure includes Jamaica Hospital which has served the community since 1891 and Queens Hospital Center formally known as Queens General Hospital. These hospitals have a wide network of medical services in the neighborhood and there are also many independently owned medical and group practices.


HOUSING



Jamaica is home to approximately 80,000 residents. The neighborhood has seen over 2,500 new housing units constructed since 2007. Jamaica has a diverse housing stock, ranging from Downtown Jamaica’s denser apartments to the one- and two-family homes in adjacent residential neighborhoods. The area has a slightly higher rate of homeownership compared to the rest of Queens.



ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, JOB TRAINING & EDUCATION



The study area is a significant employment hub, with numerous institutional and civic anchors, as well as a commercial center that features a variety of businesses, shops, and restaurants. It provides over 24,000 jobs primarily in the Downtown area, adjacent industrial areas, and Jamaica’s vital commercial corridors. Residents in the study area are majorly employed in the following industries: Education and Health Care, Retail trade, Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food services, Transportation, and Warehousing.

Jamaica is also home to CUNY York College and over 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.



ARTS, CULTURE, AND ENTERTAINMENT



Jamaica is home to many cultures. Black communities have called Jamaica home for centuries, creating art, music, dance, and food that makes the neighborhood special. Jamaica also includes immigrants from Southern Asia like Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Caribbean like Jamaica and Trinidad, Guyana and many Latin American Countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico who have brought traditions and artforms from their home countries and created new forms of culture unique to the neighborhood.


Jamaica's network of cultural institutions includes the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), Kings Manor Museum, and Queens Central Library. Jamaica is also home to a number of dedicated groups who strive to bring more diverse representation for arts, culture, and entertainment in the neighborhood including and the Afrikan Poetry Theatre, Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, A better Jamaica, the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance, and a number of faith based organizations including churches and mosques.



PLANNING TOPICS

The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan team outlined six overarching topics to steer community discussions, planning, and research efforts.


Transportation

Public Realm & Open Space

Public Health & Safety

Housing

Economic Opportunity & Education

Arts & Culture



TRANSPORTATION AND CONNECTIVITY



Jamaica is one of the city’s most transit-accessible points, providing daily transportation to thousands of commuters. The majority of workers in the study area use public transportation as their means of transportation to work, with a mean travel time to work of 48 minutes.

Downtown Jamaica is served by the JFK AirTrain, Long Island Rail Road, four subway lines, and over 40 MTA bus routes. The study area also contains a series of critical corridors, connecting points throughout South Queens and beyond.



PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACE



Parks and open spaces promote health, well-being, and fun, making them critical assets for Jamaica's residents, visitors, and other community members. The plan study area is home to 14 parks, totaling 29.2 acres. Some of the significant parks in the area include Rufus King Park and St. Albans Park. Several smaller green spaces are also located in the area, including playgrounds, 2 community gardens, totaling 0.42 acres, cemeteries, and green streets.

Street trees in the area also improve the physical environment and dramatically increase Jamaica's overall quality of life. Approximately 3,700 street trees are planted in the plan area, creating 135.9 acres of canopy coverage.



PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY



There are a number of factors that create health and safety in Jamaica including access to healthy foods, education, housing, healthcare, open space and many others. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Community Health Profiles share data about health in neighborhoods. In Jamaica, 79% of people self reported that their heath is good, very good or excellent. Jamaica residents also self reported that 78% of adults think that their neighbors are willing to help one another. But Jamaica residents also face health inequities. The average surface temperature in Jamaica is much higher than the Queens or city average, and a lower percent of older adults have air conditioning in their homes, making Jamaica residents vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. Asthma Emergency Department Visits for children ages 5-17 in Jamaica are higher than other parts of Queens. Hospitalizations related to injuries from assaults capture the consequences of community violence. Jamaica has a rate of assault-related hospitalizations that is higher than the citywide rate. The jail incarceration rate in Jamaica is more than double the rate for Queens, and it’s higher than the rate for NYC overall.


Jamaica's major healthcare infrastructure includes Jamaica Hospital which has served the community since 1891 and Queens Hospital Center formally known as Queens General Hospital. These hospitals have a wide network of medical services in the neighborhood and there are also many independently owned medical and group practices.


HOUSING



Jamaica is home to approximately 80,000 residents. The neighborhood has seen over 2,500 new housing units constructed since 2007. Jamaica has a diverse housing stock, ranging from Downtown Jamaica’s denser apartments to the one- and two-family homes in adjacent residential neighborhoods. The area has a slightly higher rate of homeownership compared to the rest of Queens.



ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, JOB TRAINING & EDUCATION



The study area is a significant employment hub, with numerous institutional and civic anchors, as well as a commercial center that features a variety of businesses, shops, and restaurants. It provides over 24,000 jobs primarily in the Downtown area, adjacent industrial areas, and Jamaica’s vital commercial corridors. Residents in the study area are majorly employed in the following industries: Education and Health Care, Retail trade, Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food services, Transportation, and Warehousing.

Jamaica is also home to CUNY York College and over 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.



ARTS, CULTURE, AND ENTERTAINMENT



Jamaica is home to many cultures. Black communities have called Jamaica home for centuries, creating art, music, dance, and food that makes the neighborhood special. Jamaica also includes immigrants from Southern Asia like Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Caribbean like Jamaica and Trinidad, Guyana and many Latin American Countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico who have brought traditions and artforms from their home countries and created new forms of culture unique to the neighborhood.


Jamaica's network of cultural institutions includes the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), Kings Manor Museum, and Queens Central Library. Jamaica is also home to a number of dedicated groups who strive to bring more diverse representation for arts, culture, and entertainment in the neighborhood including and the Afrikan Poetry Theatre, Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, A better Jamaica, the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance, and a number of faith based organizations including churches and mosques.


Page last updated: 08 Jan 2024, 04:15 PM