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Researching Parks ...

88 Percent Of Parks Score A Or B: Good News?
In its second annual report on the state of the city's parks, New Yorkers For Parks found that more parks scored an A or B. "On the face of it, this is encouraging news. But when you scratch below the surface and look at trends across park features, it becomes apparent that the Parks Department is caught in a property management version of 'Whac-A-Mole:' in order to address one problem, resources must be pulled from another area, causing a new problem to arise in that area. Bottom line: the Parks Department simply does not have sufficient resources to keep up with the endless demands of maintaining the City’s 29,000 acres of parkland — including the more than 3,600 acres spotlighted in this report." (March 11, 2013)

Infrastructure budget drops
According to an analysis by the New York Building Congress, 2010 was the capital investment peak of the Bloomberg Administration, with spending at $10.5 billion. Spending dropped to $9.5 billion in '11, and the city is on target to spend $9.1 billion in the current fiscal year. But the $7.2 billion of projected spending in '16 is a reduction of $3.3 billion from the '10 peak. (July 17, 2012)

Fewer smokers in parks
This study by the Health Department finds smoking in parks dropped two-thirds in the year after the city banned it. Smoking-related litter on beaches, such as cigarette butts, also declined by about two-thirds. (May 29, 2012)

Enhancing the Waterfront
The Planning Department recently released this draft report of recommendations on how to enhance the city's waterfront and waterways. It outlines goals and policies for the entire city and for individual segments. (October 8, 2010)

Grading Artificial Turf
The condition of artificial turf in many city parks declined between 2008 and 2009 according to the Report Card on Artificial Turf published by New Yorkers for Parks. After evaluating the condition of 48 of the ersatz grass field in 40 smaller city parks, the advocacy group awarded them an average grade of C minus for 2009, compared to B minus the previous year. The main problems apparently were the condition of the blades of the "grass" and loose seams. The report also found that in almost a third of the fields surveyed, sections of turf were either missing or detached. (July 6, 2010)

Regional Plan Association
The independent planning organization that has been making recommendations for 80 years on region-wide policy and infrastructure needs, including open space and natural resource protection.
Community Garden Locator
The OASIS NYC open space mapping system allows users to find out where a particular garden is, or to look for gardens by zip code, borough, community board or neighborhood.
New York City Audubon
Focuses on the city's wilder open spaces: Look here for wetlands and wildlife habitat protection, volunteering, and, of course, birding.
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
It’s easy to look up any park location, facility, or program at this site. You can take a parks survey, locate WiFi hot spots, find a concert or play, check park rules, print or submit permits and applications, and find out pretty much anything related to parks.
Partnerships for Parks
This joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the parks department encourages community involvement in parks through grants, workshops, volunteer events and more.