New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe talks with Next American City about the city's increased emphasis on creating active public spaces and how his department is handling budget cuts.
"Next American City: In the earlier years of your tenure you had an increasing budget, which led to what many called a "boom" in park development. How have you dealt with the cuts that have followed the recession?
Adrian Benepe: Our expense budget has gone down. From 2000 to 2006 or so our expense budget more or less doubled, from about $200 million to about $380 million. Our capital budget has been very healthy. Since Bloomberg took office we've spent $3 billion in the capital budget – and we now have a billion and a half in our budget. So we have somewhere around $4.5 billion in capital budget, which had one 30 percent cut. But the budget hasn't really been cut – the tremendous rate of expansion of the budget has slowed. No city is spending what we're spending on parks. Capital dollars are funded through bond issues – so they can't be spent on maintenance, but you can use it to build new parks or rebuild old parks. If you rebuild an old park, chances are it's going to last a long time. We use sturdy materials. For example you can put in new bench slats, the plastic ones that will last forever. The idea that building new parks is antithetical to well-maintained parks is not true – it's the opposite. People tend to treat a good-looking a little bit better."
Benepe also talks about the various partnerships the city has with outside groups to maintain and support its park system.
FULL STORY: An Interview with New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie