Саундвью: История и современность района Бронкса

Soundview is a neighborhood on the Clason Point peninsula, on the southern section of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Cross Bronx Expressway to the north, White Plains Road to the east, Lacombe Avenue to the south, and the Bronx River to the west. The Bruckner Expressway bisects the neighborhood horizontally along the center and the Bronx River Parkway runs north to south. Soundview Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Soundview.

Most development initially concentrated near the IRT Pelham Line on Westchester Avenue and in close proximity to Soundview Avenue (once served by a streetcar). Prior to the late 20th century, large parcels across the neighborhood remained undeveloped. Some land in the neighborhood was used in 1947 for a temporary New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing project made up of 947 apartments in 473 Quonset huts. One remaining Quonset hut is still visible on the south side of Seward Avenue at Croes Avenue. In 1941 Clason Point Gardens was the first development constructed by the NYCHA in the Bronx. It was followed by many other NYCHA developments across the neighborhood from the 1950s until the 1970s, which boosted the population significantly. During the 1950s, two controlled access highways, the Bronx River Parkway and Bruckner Expressway, were constructed. Later in the 1970s, large high rise rental and co op apartment complexes were constructed across the neighborhood following the establishment of the Mitchell Lama program. Like neighboring Hunts Point, Soundview began to fall into rapid decay in the 1970s due to white flight, growing poverty rates, and a citywide fiscal crisis. Abandonment was a problem as the exodus picked up pace but much of the White non Hispanic population was replaced by poor and working class Latin Americans and African Americans. As a result, abandonment was much less extensive than in neighborhoods to the west including Morrisania. The neighborhood was gravely affected by the crack epidemic throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, setting yearly murder totals among the highest in the city. During that time, the Weed and Seed program was put into place by the federal government to improve the situation in Soundview, nearby Mott Haven, and East New York, Brooklyn and later Operation Impact. Policing methods include NYPD monitored CCTV along known high drug trafficking areas, increased foot presence, and improved statistical mapping. In 1999, an unarmed man, Amadou Diallo, was shot and killed by four plainclothes officers near the corner of Wheeler and Westchester Avenues. Starting in the 2000s, a citywide housing crisis spurred construction of modern multi unit row houses and apartment buildings. Many are multi zoned for retail and have mixed income qualifications. There are also plans to develop this type of housing on vacant land within the confines of NYCHA property along with significant renovations and improvements to existing grounds and buildings. Soundview Park, built on a former landfill and the largest in the South Bronx, has undergone a complete transformation including enhanced pedestrian access and completely renovated and redesigned recreational areas. Future plans in accordance with PlaNYC initiatives will create an urban oasis in this dense community; complete with recreation nodes, Greenway connections, bike/hike trails, designated fishing areas, a boat launch, and esplanades with skyline views. The neighborhood has become increasingly more diverse with a rise in varied Latin American and Asian immigration in recent years. Crime has also seen a significant decline as a result of a number of factors including enhanced policing techniques and changing economic demographics.

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the combined population of the Soundview/Clason Point/Castle Hill/Harding Park tabulation area, which includes the southern half of the neighborhood, was 53,686 in 2010, a decrease of 2,933 (5.5%) from the 88,823 counted in 2000. Covering an area of , these neighborhoods had a population density of The combined population of the Soundview/Bruckner tabulation area, which includes the northern half of the neighborhood, was 35,634 in 2010, an increase of 497 (1.4%) from the 35,137 counted in 2000. Covering an area of , these neighborhoods had a population density of The racial makeup of these neighborhoods was 2% (1,067) White, 37% (19,876) African American, 0.3% (161) Native American, 1.3% (709) Asian, 0% (22) Pacific Islander, 0.4% (239) from other races, and 1.1% (586) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.8% (31,026) of the population. Soundview's total land area is roughly 1.3 square miles. The neighborhood predominantly consists of Latin Americans (mainly Puerto Ricans) and African Americans. The entirety of Community District 9, which comprises Soundview and Parkchester, had 184,105 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 79.7 years. This is about two years shorter than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle aged adults: 25% are between the ages of between 0–17, 29% between 25 and 44, and 24% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 12% respectively. In 2018, an estimated 26% of Soundview and Parkchester residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (13%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 55% in Soundview and Parkchester, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 Soundview and Parkchester are considered low income relative to the rest of the city, and are not undergoing gentrification. The studios for News 12 The Bronx are located at 930 Soundview Avenue. The total land area is roughly 1.8 square miles. The terrain is mostly low lying and flat.

The Shops at Bruckner Commons, which was greatly expanded throughout the 1990s and was mostly renovated in 2018, divides Soundview from neighboring Castle Hill and contains some national chains like The Gap and Old Navy. Other primary thoroughfares contain amenities like supermarkets, pharmacies, barbershops, hair salons, fast food, bodegas, and cheap shops.

Soundview Park occupies in the southwestern section of the neighborhood, with ballfields and playgrounds and a pedestrian/bike greenway along the left bank of the Bronx River estuary from Lafayette to Leland Avenue. It was built on filled land starting in 1939. The first of the park were acquired by the City of New York in 1937, and more were acquired along the water's edge in December 1939. "Parque de los Ninos", a playground at the corner of Morrison and Watson Avenues, opened in 1956 and was renamed in 1995 to honor six neighborhood children who were killed in the late 1980s. It was granted $1.6 million for renovations in 2016.

There are nine NYCHA developments located in Soundview. 1471 Watson Avenue; one 6 story building. Boynton Avenue Rehab; three rehabilitated apartment buildings, two 4 stories tall another 6 stories tall. Sotomayor Houses (formerly Bronxdale Houses); twenty eight 7 story buildings. Bronx River Houses; nine 14 story buildings. Bronx River Addition; two buildings, one 6 stories tall another 14 stories tall. Clason Point Gardens; forty five buildings, all 2 stories tall. Monroe Houses; twelve buildings, either 8, 14, or 15 stories tall. Sack Wern Houses; seven buildings, each 6 stories tall. Soundview Houses; thirteen 7 story buildings.

Soundview is one of several neighborhoods in the Southeast Bronx patrolled by the 43rd Precinct of the NYPD, located at 900 Fteley Avenue. The current 43rd Precinct was constructed in Soundview in 1978, and the overall coverage area was reduced significantly with the introduction of the 49th Precinct north of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor right of way in the East Bronx. The 43rd Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 63.1% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 6 murders, 48 rapes, 747 robberies, 806 felony assaults, 302 burglaries, 1,039 grand larcenies, and 561 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The 43rd Precinct's rate of violent crimes per capita is more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate is higher than that of the city as a whole.

Soundview contains a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire station, Engine Company 96/Ladder Company 54, at 1689 Story Avenue.

as of 2018, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Bronx Community District 9 including Soundview than in other places citywide. There were 106 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 26.4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).

The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates three branches near Soundview. The Clason's Point branch is located at 1215 Morrison Avenue. The branch opened in 1952 and moved to its current location in 1971. The Parkchester branch is located at 1985 Westchester Avenue. The branch opened in 1942 within the Parkchester development and moved to its current two story structure in 1985. The Soundview branch is located at 660 Soundview Avenue. The branch opened at this location in 1973.