Foodscapes

Foodscape: Fort Greene and Brooklyn Heights

by NYC Food Policy Editor
written by NYC Food Policy Editor

Fort Greene and Brooklyn Heights Foodscape

About Foodscapes

Access to affordable and nutritious food is one of the cornerstones of good health. Without this, individuals—and communities—are at a higher risk of food insecurity and serious chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. To improve the health of New Yorkers, we must recognize that each neighborhood has a distinct food environment.

Purpose

These Foodscape reports provide a community-level snapshot of a community’s food environment, including data on healthy and unhealthy food consumption, food access, and diet-related diseases. Additionally, the reports detail a comprehensive guide of the many food-related resources available to residents within their neighborhoods to support them in eating healthier. The Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center has compiled this information from various sources, presenting it in a user-friendly format to help NYC residents and communities better understand their local foodscapes.

*All data from Community Health Profiles includes Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Fort Greene and Vinegar Hill 

*All data from DATA2GO includes Brooklyn Heights & Fort Greene 

Zip codes include: 11201, 11205, 11217, 11238, 11241, 11242, 11243

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

DEMOGRAPHICS:

  • Total Population: 117,046 (1.37% of NYC population) (1)
  • Population by Race and Ethnicity of Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights and New York City (1)
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 14% Latino | NYC: 29% Latino
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 25.4% Black | NYC: 22% Black
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 46.2% White | NYC: 32% White
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 10% Asian/Pacific Islander | NYC: 15% Asian
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 4.4% Other | NYC: 2% Other
  • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights Population by Age: (1)
    • 0-17 years: 15%
    • 18-24 years: 9%
    • 25-44 years: 44%
    • 45-64 years: 20%
    • 65+ years: 12%
  • Life Expectancy: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 81.6 years (2) | NYC: 82.1 years (2)
  • Born Outside the US: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 20% (1) | NYC: 37% (1)

NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD:

  • Supermarket to Bodega Ratio: One (1) supermarket in Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights to 12 bodegas (1)
  • Meal Gap (# of meals needed per year for food security): 3,995,959 (2)
  • Food Insecurity: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 13.4% of residents (2)| NYC: 15.4% of residents (2)
  • Residences that Lack a Kitchen: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 0.8% of housing units (2)| NYC: 0.8% (2)
  • Households Receiving SNAP Benefits: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 13.3% of households (2)| NYC: 22.4% of households (2)
  • Walking Distance to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: (4)
    • *Includes data from Downtown/Brooklyn Heights/Park Slope (zip codes 11201, 11205, 11215, 11217, 11231)
      • 5 minutes or less: 65% (Compared to 49% New York City-wide)
      • 5-10 minutes: 14% (Compared to 18% New York City-wide)
      • 10 minutes or more: 20% (Compared to 32% New York City-wide)

FOOD CONSUMPTION:

  • At Least One Serving of Fruits or Vegetables Per Day (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 88% (1) | NYC: 87% (1)
  • No Fruits and Vegetables Yesterday: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 12% of adults (2) | NYC: 12.9% of adults (2)
  • One or More 12-ounce Sugary Drinks Per Day (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 20% (1) | NYC: 23% (1)

HEALTH AND DISEASE STATUS:

  • Adults Reporting Their Own Health as “Excellent,” “Very Good” or “Good” (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 86% (1) | NYC: 78% (1)
  • Obesity (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 24% (1) | NYC: 24% (1)
  •  Childhood Obesity (percent of public school children in grades K through 8): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 14% (1) | NYC: 20% (1)
  • Diabetes (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 6% (1) | NYC: 11% (1)
  • Hypertension (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 25% (1) | NYC: 28% (1)

ECONOMIC AND LIVING-CONDITION STRESS, CONTRIBUTORS TO FOOD INSECURITY:

  • Median Household Income: 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: $93,434 (2) | NYC: $63,132 (2)
  • Poverty (percent of households with incomes below poverty): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 12% (2) | NYC: 19.7% (2)
  • Unemployment (percent of people ages 16 and older): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 4.6% (2) | NYC: 4.5% (2)
  • Extreme Housing Burden (percent of renters): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 18.6% (2) | NYC: 29.5% (2)

EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BURDEN

  • Air Pollution (micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 8.8 (1) | New York City-wide: 7.5 (1)
  • Bicycle Network Coverage (percent of streets with bike lanes): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 26% (1) | New York City-wide: 10% (1)
  • Pedestrian Injury Hospitalizations (per 100,000 people): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 11 (1) | New York City-wide: 23 (1)
  • Any Physical Activity in the Past 30 Days (percent of adults): 
    • Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights: 76% (1) | New York City-wide: 73% (1)

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS SUMMER MEALS: 

To ensure everyone has access to nutritious meals, the Department of Education’s Meal Hubs were created in response to COVID-19 and have expanded service to all children and adults across the five boroughs. Sites serve grab-and-go meal service for adults and children and no one is turned away. No registration or identification is required.

During the summer of 2020, over 400 Meal Hubs operated from 7:30am-11:30am for children and families and 11:30am-1:30pm for adults. Starting September 29, 200 Meal Hubs continue to provide grab-and-go meal service for all New Yorkers on Monday-Friday between 3-5pm.

Please check the DOE website for updates and search for Free Meals at the select public school buildings here or text “NYCFOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877.

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY GARDENS: 

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS GREENTHUMB GARDENS:

There are over 600 GreenThumb community gardens across the city, and any resident can join a garden. Find the most up-to-date list of gardens using GreenThumb’s searchable Garden Map. (5)  

  • Poplar Street Community Garden: 25 Poplar St
  • Greene Garden: 2 S Portland Ave
  • Brooklyn Bears/Pacific Street Garden: 590 Pacific St
  • Bridge Plaza Community Garden: 153 Concord St
  • Brooklyn Bears/Carlton Avenue Garden: 397-401 Carlton Ave
  • Vinegar Hill Community Garden: 199 York St
  • Brooklyn Bears/Rockwell Place Garden: 65-73 Flatbush Ave
  • Lefferts Place Block Association Garden: 162 Lefferts Pl
  • Myrtle Village Green (Pratt Area Community Council): 636 Myrtle Ave
  • Greene Acres Community Garden: 322 Franklin Ave
  • Spencer Street Community Garden: 230A Spencer St
  • Classon / Fulgate Block Association Garden: 472 - 474 Classon Ave
  • Brooklyn's Finest Garden: 48 Lefferts Pl
  • Hollenback Community Garden: 460 Washington Ave
  • Clifton Place Block Association Garden: 289 Grand Ave
  • David Foulke Memorial Garden: 248-250 Bergen St

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS SCHOOL GARDENS:

  • PS 77 : 62 Park Pl
  • PS/IS 157 The Benjamin Franklin Health & Science Academy: 850 Kent Ave
  • HS 430 Brooklyn Technical High School: 29 Ft Greene Pl
  • PS 705 Brooklyn Arts and Science Elementary School: 443 St Marks Ave
  • MS 266 Park Place Community Middle School: 62 Park Pl
  • PS 369 @ Main Site: 383 State St
  • PS 133 William A. Butler: 610 Baltic St
  • PS 54 Samuel C. Barnes: 195 Sanford St
  • PS 56 Lewis H. Latimer: 170 Gates Ave
  • Pre-K 664: 140 58th St
  • PS 9 Teunis G. Bergen (aka Sarah Smith Garnet): 80 Underhill Ave
  • PS 20 Clinton Hill: 225 Adelphi St
  • PS 29 John M. Harrigan: 425 Henry St
  • MS/HS 707 Brooklyn Prospect Charter School- Clinton Hill Middle School: 1100 Fulton St
  • PS 351 The Urban Assembly Unison School: 170 Gates Ave
  • Charter School 536 Community Roots Charter School: 51 Saint Edwards St
  • Charter 486 New Dawn Charter High School: 242 Hoyt St
  • HS 423 Brooklyn Frontiers High School: 112 Schermerhorn St
  • PS 46 Edward C. Blum: 100 Clermont Ave
  • PS 261 Philip Livingston: 314 Pacific St
  • PS 368 PS 368 @PS293K - District 75 Star Academy: 284 Baltic St
  • PS 8 Robert Fulton: 37 Hicks St
  • PS 11 Purvis J. Behan: 419 Waverly Ave
  • Cory L. Cox School @ PS133: 610 Baltic St
  • Brooklyn Community High School of Communication, Arts and Media: 300 Willoughby Ave
  • PS 789 Compass Charter School: 300 Adelphi St
  • HS 412 Brooklyn Community High School of Communication, Arts and Media: 300 Willoughby Ave
  • PS 282 Park Slope: 180 6th Ave
  • PS 307 Daniel Hale Williams: 209 York St
  • MS/HS 429 Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School: 284 Baltic St
  • MS 915: 105 Johnson St
  • PS 369 Cory L. Cox School @ PS133: 610 Baltic St
  • HS 616 Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community Service: 300 Willoughby Ave
  • PS 38 The Pacific: 450 Pacific St
  • MS 447 The Math & Science Exploratory School: 345 Dean St
  • HS 497 Boerum Hill School for International Studies: 284 Baltic St
  • MS 113 Ronald Edmonds Learning Center: 300 Adelphi St
  • HS 753 School for Career Development: 510 Clermont Ave
  • PS 316 Elijah Stroud: 750 Classon Ave
  • MS 527 Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women: 283 Adams St

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS FARMERS’ MARKETS: 

To ensure the below farmers’ markets are open, please call or check the listed websites for the most up-to-date information.

Many farmers’ markets accept cash, SNAP/EBT, debit/credit, WIC and Senior FMNP coupons. They may also offer Health Bucks for EBT users — for every $5 spent in EBT, customers receive a $2 Health Buck coupon to purchase additional fruits and vegetables. For an updated list of farmers’ markets near you (including days/hours of operation) visit nyc.gov/health and search “farmers markets” or text “SoGood” to 877-877.

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS OFFICIAL SNAP ENROLLMENT SITES IN NYC – HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATION (HRA):

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

*It is possible to apply for SNAP benefits online at https://www.ny.gov/services/apply-snap

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS PANTRIES AND SOUP KITCHENS:

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

*Food pantry and soup kitchen hours subject to change, and requirements may be needed to register for food pantries. Call a specific location for more information before going for the first time. 

FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS RETAIL FOOD STORES:

*This list below includes all retail food stores from a Google Maps Places API search with keyword search terms “bakery, cafe, convenience store, deli, food, grocery, supermarket.” 

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

PARKS IN FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS:

To ensure the below businesses and organizations are open, please call or check the listed websites for the most up-to-date information.

FOOD POLICY ORGANIZATIONS IN FORT GREENE/BROOKLYN HEIGHTS:

To ensure the below organizations are and services are being offered, please call or check the listed websites for the most up-to-date information.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Last updated: 4/27/21

REFERENCES:

  1. Hinterland, K, et al. “Community Health Profiles 2018, Brooklyn Community District 2: Fort Greene and Brooklyn Heights.” Community Health Profiles 2018, Brooklyn Community District 2: Fort Greene and Brooklyn Heights, 2018, pp.1-20.
  2. “Data2Go: Brooklyn Heights & Fort Greene.” data2go.Nyc, Measure of America of the Social Science Research Council and Helmsley Charitable Trust, https://data2go.nyc/cd/?id=302*36047015900*ahdi_puma!undefined!ns*!buttonHolder~other_pop_cd_506~ahdi_puma_1~working_poor_cd_421~life_expectancy_puma_562~sch_enrol_cd_112~high_cost_h_cd_216~unemployment_cd_408~age_pyramid_male_85_plus_cd_20~ex_high_cost_h_cd_historical_402~poverty_ceo_cd_417~bodega_supermarket_cd_148~median_household_income_puma_397~fruits_veggies_cd_164~median_personal_earnings_puma_400!*air_qual_cd~ahdi_puma*family_homeless_cd_245#14/40.6945/-73.9811
  3. “Annual Vital Statistics Data Show Fewer Premature Deaths and Fewer Births in New York City in 2017.” NYC Health, The City of New York.
  4. “A Foodscape of Downtown/Brooklyn Heights/Park Slope” New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College, Mar. 2017, https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FS202_2017.pdf.
  5. “Green Thumb Garden Map.” NYC Parks, https://greenthumb.nycgovparks.org/gardensearch.php. 

Article Image: “New York City (NYC) Neighborhood Maps – By Borough – Brooklyn.” NYCdata, Baruch College Zicklin School of Business, https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/population-geography/maps-boroughs.htm.

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