AN ORIGINAL POLICY FRAMEWORK
A score. A diagnosis. A path to the right intervention.
No U.S. city has a single, unified metric for how equitably it supports movement across neighborhoods. The MOI is a composite scoring framework that changes that, translating fragmented public health, recreation, and equity data into one transparent, actionable number per neighborhood.
4
Scoring dimensions
3
Intervention tiers
0-100
Neighborhood score range
Any city
Designed to scale
Proof-of-concept framework. The MOI is a fully developed policy and data framework currently in
Phase 1 — conceptual design and research-informed modeling. Neighborhood scores shown in the tools below are derived from publicly available data sources including DOHMH Community Health Profiles 2021, New Yorkers for Parks Open Space Profiles 2021, and NYC Parks Capital Tracker — not from direct agency data partnerships. They are designed to demonstrate scoring logic and decision-making methodology.
Phase 2 involves formal data partnerships with NYC agencies — Parks, DOHMH, DFTA, DOE, DYCD, and DOT — to
produce fully validated neighborhood scores standardized and normalized at the neighborhood tabulation area (NTA) level by a qualified data scientist or biostatistician.
WHAT IT IS
A single score. A clear diagnosis. A targeted action.
The Movement Opportunity Index scores every neighborhood on a 0–100 scale by aggregating multiple dimensions of movement access, programming availability, resident participation, and population health risk. The score tells you urgency. The dimension breakdown tells you cause. The intervention tier tells you what to do.
It was conceived in response to a specific problem in New York City: an extraordinary array of movement assets, parks, recreation centers, school gyms, NYCHA campuses, senior centers spread across at least seven agencies with no shared standards, no unified data, and no way to compare outcomes across neighborhoods.
01
Built on publicly available data
The MOI draws from datasets that NYC agencies already collect and publish. Parks, DOHMH, DFTA, DOE, DYCD, and DOT. No proprietary data infrastructure is required to operationalize this framework
03
Designed for decision-makers
The MOI does not just identify gaps, it classifies the type of problem driving each gap and matches it to a specific class of intervention. The output is always actionable.
02
Transparent scoring logic
Every score, tier assignment, and recommended action is derived from visible, explainable criteria. There is no algorithmic black box. Policymakers can see, audit, and defend every output.
04
City-agnostic and replicable
The dimensions, weighting methodology, and intervention logic are designed to be adapted for any metropolitan area with existing public health and recreation data infrastructure.
THE PROBLEM
NYC is not the exception. It is the example.
1 in 4
US adults meet both physical activity guidelines. NYC's most underserved
neighborhoods fall well below even that
1
8 in 10
NYC high schoolers don't
meet daily movement guidelines²
1 in 4
NYC seniors face mobility challenges³
$117B
Annual US cost of physical inactivity 4
A New Yorker's zip code determines their access to movement more than any personal choice. The MOI makes that gap visible, measurable, and actionable.
These outcomes are not evenly distributed. They are shaped by decades of fragmented planning, misaligned cross-agency investment, and siloed data systems that have never been unified into a single view. The city has the assets. What it lacks is the infrastructure to see them, measure them, and act on them together.
The MOI is designed to provide that infrastructure.
¹ CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System · ² NYC DOHMH Youth Risk Behavior Survey · ³ NYC DFTA FY2019 Annual Plan Summary · ⁴ Carlson et al. 2015, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases
01
FIRST TOOL
MOI Neighborhood Dashboard
The dashboard provides a citywide view with every neighborhood scored, tiered, and tracked across
four dimensions using real publicly available data. Click any neighborhood card to expand the full dimension breakdown, data sources, constraint type, and intervention recommendation.
WHAT IT SHOWS
MOI score, intervention tier, quarterly trend, and dimension breakdown per neighborhood
INTENDED AUDIENCE
City leadership, elected officials, community advocates, and public health researchers
POLICY APPLICATION
Equity-based investment prioritization, transparent public accountability reporting
02
SECOND TOOL
MOI Action Matrix
The Action Matrix is a two-axis policy decision tool. The vertical axis represents intervention urgency determined by MOI score and trend. The horizontal axis represents constraint type, the category of barrier driving the low score. Every neighborhood lands in one of nine cells, determined entirely by its scores. Click any neighborhood to see its full diagnosis.
WHAT IT SHOWS
Urgency tier crossed with primary constraint type for every neighborhood simultaneously
INTENDED AUDIENCE
Agency commissioners, budget directors, and cross-agency planning teams
POLICY APPLICATION
Targeted resource allocation matching the right intervention type to the right neighborhood
03
THIRD TOOL
MOI Action Decision Tree
The Decision Tree is the MOI's live diagnostic engine. Enter any neighborhood's four dimension scores or select from existing modeled neighborhoods and the system derives the urgency tier, identifies the primary constraint, explains the causal role of each score, and recommends a specific action class with a deployment timeline. The logic is fully visible at every step.
WHAT IT SHOWS
Step-by-step causal diagnosis from raw dimension scores to recommended intervention class
INTENDED AUDIENCE
Program managers, community planners, borough-level coordinators, and researchers
POLICY APPLICATION
Neighborhood-level decision support grounded in transparent, auditable logic not opaque algorithmic outputs
FRAMEWORK METHODOLOGY
Four dimensions. One score. Fully auditable.
The MOI composite score is derived from four dimensions, each sourced from existing NYC agency datasets and publicly available research. The framework is designed to expand in Phase 2, incorporating equity indicators, disability access, and transit walkability. All current data sources are publicly available through NYC Open Data, DOHMH Community Health Profiles, and New Yorkers for Parks Open Space research.
Access to facilities
Park acreage per 10,000 residents. Rec centers and schoolyards within walking distance. Physical proximity to movement spaces.
Source: NYC Parks Open Data · DOE Schools dataset
Chronic disease burden
Diabetes prevalence, obesity, and hypertension rates by neighborhood. Higher burden signals greater need for preventive movement infrastructure.
Source: DOHMH Community Health Survey · EpiQuery
Public programming coverage
Free and low-cost programs offered quarterly. Volume of programming relative to resident population across Parks and DYCD.
Source: NYC Parks Events · DYCD After School dataset
Participation rates
Youth enrollment in movement-related after-school programs. Senior enrollment in DFTA mobility and wellness programs.
Source: DYCD · DOE Fitnessgram · DFTA quarterly reporting
ABOUT THIS DATA
A framework in active development.
The neighborhood scores shown in the tools above are derived from publicly available data sources — including DOHMH Community Health Profiles 2021, New Yorkers for Parks Open Space Profiles 2021, and NYC Parks Capital Tracker — and are designed to demonstrate how the framework functions. They are research-informed estimates, not outputs from a validated formal data pipeline.
What "research-informed estimates" means
The dimension scores assigned to each neighborhood — for example, Brownsville D1 access: 11, are derived from real published data points sourced from DOHMH, New Yorkers for Parks, NYC Parks Capital Tracker, and peer-reviewed public health literature. Confirmed data points include: Central Harlem parkland at 0.3 acres per 1,000 residents (New Yorkers for Parks OSI), Hansborough and Brownsville Recreation Centers currently closed for reconstruction (NYC Parks Capital Tracker 2025), East Harlem diabetes rate at 20% (DOHMH CHP 2021), and South Bronx adult obesity at 42% (NY4P BX1 2021).
Producing real MOI scores would require a formal data standardization process: This work would require collaboration with a qualified data scientist or biostatistician with experience in public health composite index construction.
PHASE 1 - CURRENT
Framework design
Dimension definitions, scoring logic, tier system, constraint typology, intervention mapping, and prototype tooling — fully developed.
PHASE 2 - NEXT
Data validation
Agency data partnerships, NTA-level standardization, composite score validation, and publication of real neighborhood scores.
PHASE 3 - VISION
Live deployment
Public-facing dashboard updated quarterly, integrated into cross-agency planning, and adapted for additional cities.
BEYOND NYC
Built for New York. Designed for every city.
No U.S. city has fully unified recreation, public health, equity, aging, and movement culture into a single measurable framework. The MOI was built to change that — starting with New York, but designed from the ground up to be adapted anywhere that public health data and recreation infrastructure exist.
The dimensions are adaptable. The scoring logic is transparent and replicable. The intervention tier system is universal. What changes city to city is the data pipeline. The framework stays the same.
GET INVOLVED
This framework is open for collaboration.
The MOI needs data partners, policy champions, and city governments willing to pilot it. If you work in public health, urban planning, recreation policy, or community wellness and you see the potential here. I'd like to hear from you.
Interested in adapting the MOI for your city? Looking to collaborate on Phase 2 data validation? Researching movement equity frameworks? All inquiries welcome.
© 2026 Maillard Howell · maillardhowellny.com/moi
The Movement Opportunity Index is an original framework developed independently by Maillard Howell.
Neighborhood scores are derived from publicly available research data — DOHMH Community Health Profiles
2021, New Yorkers for Parks Open Space Profiles 2021, NYC Parks Capital Tracker — and are research-informed
estimates pending Phase 2 formal agency data validation.
Data sources referenced: NYC DOHMH · NYC Parks · NYC DOE · NYC DFTA · NYC DYCD · NYC DOT · U.S. Census ACS