Report: New York City Public Parks Under Stress Due to Budget Cuts and Lack of Private Funding

Budget cuts to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation funding in the 2021 fiscal year suggest hard times ahead for the city's public green spaces and park system, reports Jonathan Hilburg. At the beginning of May, Parks and Open Space Partners, an alliance of 25 nonprofit organizations that raise about $150 million in funding for public parks annually, published a "Report on COVID-19 Impacts on Public Spaces." 

"According to the groups surveyed in the Parks and Open Space Partners – NYC COVID-19 Impact Report, it’s expected that on average, parks were anticipating a revenue loss of 32 percent, with one park in particular expecting to lose up to 68 percent. In practical terms, that means city parks will likely see a funding reduction of over $37 million from those groups," writes Hilburg. 

Hilburg recounts a loss of as many as 40,000 park maintenance hours among other dreary statistics published in the report. Increasing numbers of people accessing public parks and postponed maintenance do not bode well for New York City's parks.