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NYC Blogs »
How Trash Becomes Green Space
A Brighter Future for University Woods Park?
The Intrepid's Million Dollar Makeover
Croton Park Filtration Plant Cost Overruns Unaccountable
Trust for Public Land
New Yorkers for Parks
Neighborhood Open Space Coalition
City Parks Locator
Green Thumb
Park of The Month
Prospect Park Alliance
Privately Owned Public Space
Rating Playgrounds, Courts and Fields
New York’s Open Schoolyards Initiative: Will Artificial Turf Make it a Public Health Hazard?
Yankees Parkland
Preliminary Mayor's Management Report
by Witold Rybczynski
Inside City Parks
by Peter Harnik
Private Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience
by Jerold S. Kayden
Parks Links In The News:
Links to web sites, articles or reports that illuminate the most recent Parks news.
Cost of Water Filtration Plant Doubles (Associated Press, Dec 1, 2008)
How Trash Becomes Green Space (New York Magazine, Nov 25, 2008)
A Brighter Future for University Woods Park? (Mount Hope Monitor, Nov 14, 2008)
The Intrepid's Million Dollar Makeover (Daily News, Nov 10, 2008)
Croton Park Filtration Plant Cost Overruns Unaccountable (Riverdale Press, Oct 24, 2008)
Governors Island Development Moves At Glacial Pace (NY Observer, Oct 22, 2008)
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Will Run Artists’ Space on Governors Island (NY Times, Oct 19, 2008)
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has been selected to run an artists’ studio and exhibition space on Governors Island that will include a year-round artist residency and weekend events.
Pier Bridges Dropped from Brooklyn Bridge Park Design (Brooklyn Papers, Oct 16, 2008)
Stadium Appraisals Under Fire (Newsday, Oct 16, 2008)
Business Improvement District for Hudson Park? (Downtown Express, Oct 10, 2008)
Union Square Web Site Spoof Prompts Suit (Metro, Oct 10, 2008)
Bats Flourish in Brooklyn - And That's Good (WNYC, Oct 10, 2008)
East River Park Another Year Behind Schedule (The Villager, Oct 5, 2008)
New Yorkers will be waiting another year for East River Park to be complete — and maybe more if a state agency succeeds in halting the project.
Temporary Brooklyn Bridge Park Proves Popular (NY Post, Oct 2, 2008)
A small temporary park that offered a preview of one of the state's most highly contested projects - the Brooklyn Bridge Park - was a surprise summer hit with 192,675 people visiting from around the world.
Broadway's New Pedestrian Access (USA Today, Sep 26, 2008)
Visitors to Governors Island Double (Associated Press, Sep 12, 2008)
Study: Too Much of Downtown Off Limits (Crain's, Sep 12, 2008)
Officials Hope to Keep Astroland Open (Daily News, Sep 9, 2008)
Roads Being Considered for Fresh Kills Park (Staten Island Advance, Aug 29, 2008)
After Delays, Underground Water Plant Takes Shape (NY Sun, Aug 29, 2008)
Park Rehab Done, But Maintenance Missing (Metro, Aug 27, 2008)
Bloomberg Says City Should Look at No-Car Parks (NY Sun, Aug 27, 2008)
As bicycle activists prepare to press Mayor Bloomberg to ban cars from Prospect Park, the mayor said yesterday that the city should look at the proposal and added: "It would be great if we could keep cars out of all parks."
Ban on Cars in Propsect Park Urged (NY Sun, Aug 26, 2008)
Advocates would like the city to try completely banning cars and trucks from Prospect Park for threee months next summer.
Enjoying the Danger on the Broadway Esplanade (NY Times, Aug 26, 2008)
While the new esplanade along Broadway in Midtown seems to have become an instant hit with office workers and tourists, many worry about being hit bycars and trucks.
City Creates 'Pedestrian Living Room' (New Yorker, Aug 26, 2008)
From Times Square to Herald Square, the blacktop has been decreased by a third, replaced on the eastern side with a pebbly mixture of light-colored gravel and epoxy. Tables and chairs and umbrellas will be arranged to form makeshift cafés in the middle of the street. A green bike lane separates the domesticated zones from the curb, like a moat patrolled by speeding bicycle messengers.
Complaints About Waterfall Damage Multiply (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 22, 2008)
McCarren Pool Parties in Come to an End (Metro, Aug 22, 2008)
Squadron Contests Plan for Condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 19, 2008)
Questions Raised about Bronx Park Construction (Metro, Aug 15, 2008)
Parks Department Threatens to Ticket Barefoot Kids (Daily News, Jul 30, 2008)
The city has found a way to deal with complaints that super hot playground mats burn children's feet: Punish the parents. Parents at parks around the said they've been threatened with fines for allowing their kids to run barefoot among the slides and swings.
Tides Takes Lives Over Weekend (Daily News, Jul 28, 2008)
City Faces Lawsuit Over Scalding Playground Mats (Metro, Jul 21, 2008)
Signs of Life at Neglected Bronx Park (NY Times, Jul 12, 2008)
University Woods, a 3.3-acre park in the Bronx, has been neglected — a point acknowledged even by the parks department.
But during the past year or so, a Bronx community group fashioned in the mold of the Central Park Conservancy has been seeking to transform University Woods into an unlikely urban getaway.
City to Close Two Broadway Lanes for Bikes, Walkers (Daily News, Jul 11, 2008)
Closing Two Lanes on Broadway for Parks, Bikes (NY Times, Jul 11, 2008)
Bronx Kids Left Out in Left Field (Daily News, Jul 10, 2008)
Hearing to Examine Proposed Blasting at Reservoir (Daily News, Jul 10, 2008)
Community Boards 7, 8 and 12 are sponsoring a public hearing July 15 to address the Department of Environmental Protection's recently announced plan to use blasting at the Jerome Park Reservoir in part of the controversial Croton Water Treatment Plant project underway at Van Cortlandt Park.
Effort Targets Illegal Activities in Parks (NY Sun, Jul 9, 2008)
Parks In Poor Condition (NY Post, Jul 7, 2008)
Study to Consider Crown Reopening (Daily News, Jul 7, 2008)
More Money to Parks This Year (NY Post, Jul 7, 2008)
With New York City parks plagued by barren weed-strewn areas that are nesting grounds for crime, the Bloomberg administration is planning more than 400 projects to clean up green space.
High Line to Open by Year's End (NY 1, Jun 26, 2008)
Common Ground in Central Park (New York Magazine, Jun 23, 2008)
Thompson, Marshall Push to Keep Queens Reservoir Wild (NY Observer, Jun 20, 2008)
City Considers Multi-Million Dollar Bronx Golf Course, Again (Metro, Jun 17, 2008)
Erosion Threatens Central Park's Famed Walls (Metro, Jun 11, 2008)
Concrete Plant in Bronx to Be Transformed into Park (NY Post, Jun 10, 2008)
Playing Space Tight in Bronx This Summer (City Limits, Jun 2, 2008)
A stream of cash pouring into the Parks Department budget has created a rehabilitation bonanza at Bronx parks, but the mostly welcome windfall is also displacing community sports teams and visitors to parks across the borough.
Weekend Ferry to Governors Island Returns for Summer (NY 1, Jun 1, 2008)
Costs and Delays Mount for Replacing Parks Lost to New Yankee Stadium (NY Times, May 27, 2008)
Two City Parks Receive $25 Million Donation (NY 1, May 23, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Costs Continue to Rise (NY Post, May 22, 2008)
Study Finds No Evidence of Risk in Synthetic Turf (NY Times, May 15, 2008)
Rock for Trees (NY Post, May 7, 2008)
The city's plan to plant a million trees won a star-studded endorsement yesterday from The Police, with the rock band pledging to chip in $1 million during a ceremony in Times Square.
Bronx Water Plant With a Towering Price Tag (NY Times, Apr 24, 2008)
A Newfangled Way to Count the Trees in the Park (NY Times, Apr 6, 2008)
Tompkins Square Park Activists Fight Police - Again (AM New York, Apr 4, 2008)
New Partnership Eyed for West Side Pier -- Without Cirque de Soleil (The Villager, Mar 30, 2008)
Costs and Disruptions Rise for Yankee, Met Stadiums (Village Voice, Mar 27, 2008)
Council Members Seek to Limit Fake Turf (Daily News, Mar 26, 2008)
Three City Council members will propose a bill that would ban any more artificial turf fields that use tiny bits of "crumb-rubber infill" in city parks and require existing fields to be torn up and replaced within a year.
Legislation Would Erect Fence To Artificial Turf (NY Sun, Mar 26, 2008)
New Brooklyn Vistas, and a Fight Over Plans for Them (NY Times, Mar 24, 2008)
In a City Park, a Crime Against Nature (NY Times, Mar 22, 2008)
Plan For Brooklyn Power Plant Rejected (NY 1, Mar 21, 2008)
Costs to City for Yankees Stadium Skyrockets (Village Voice, Mar 20, 2008)
Students Protest Washington Square Park Redesign (Village Voice, Mar 14, 2008)
Food Vendors to Remain at Red Hook Soccer Field (NY Times, Mar 12, 2008)
Latin Food Vendors to Stay at Brooklyn Soccer Field (NY Times, Mar 12, 2008)
Vendors Need $30,000 to Taste Full Victory (Daily News, Mar 12, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park May Be Scaled Back (NY Post, Mar 10, 2008)
Stuck in Traffic? A Sculpture Park May Ease the Pain (NY Times, Mar 8, 2008)
Groups Urge a Moratorium on City Use of Artificial Turf (NY Times, Feb 29, 2008)
Modern Pool for Public Is Opening in Flushing (NY Times, Feb 29, 2008)
City Settles Bias Case (NY Times, Feb 27, 2008)
Moving to close the books on a long and ugly chapter in New York’s employment history, the city has agreed to pay more than $20 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit charging that the Department of Parks and Recreation systematically discriminated against black and Hispanic employees in awarding jobs and setting salaries, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.
City Workers Object to Electronic Payroll System (City Room, Feb 22, 2008)
Workers Blast "Big Brother" Scheme (Metro, Feb 22, 2008)
East Side Residents Push for New Park (AM New York, Feb 22, 2008)
Aquarium Renovation Plans Scaled Back (Daily News, Feb 22, 2008)
Parks Department Vow Continued Use of Controversial Crumb Rubber Turf (Daily News, Feb 22, 2008)
A Plan for a New Riverfront Park Faces a Struggle (NY Times, Feb 22, 2008)
Call for Mob Probe of Croton Water Plant (Daily News, Feb 21, 2008)
Garodnick, Others Keep Up the Heat for East River Park (The Real Estate, Feb 20, 2008)
Randall's Island Case Back in Court Today (Metro, Feb 19, 2008)
Heliport Owner Would Move Landing Pads Into Hudson (NY Times, Feb 15, 2008)
Bronx Politician, Yankees Fued Over Stadium (Daily News, Feb 15, 2008)
The borough's politicians and the baseball team fight over who is to blame for the fact that Bronx residents have yet to reap many promised benefits from construction of the new stadium.
Pool to Rise from the Deep (Daily News, Feb 15, 2008)
The city unveiled plans to reopen the McCarren Park Pool, a sprawling recreation area that has been dry for 24 years. The $50 million project, expected to be finished by 2011, will feature a recreation center, restaurant and space for an ice rink in the winter, city officials said.
Developers Want Easier Access to High Line Air Rights (The Real Estate, Feb 14, 2008)
Pint-Sized Parks Make Safer Streets and Cleaner Rivers (StreetsBlog, Feb 14, 2008)
Swimming in McCarren Pool (New York Magazine, Feb 14, 2008)
The recent plan call for turning the site back into a place for actual swimming by summer 2011.In the winter, people will be able to ice-skate there, too.
Despite Court Ruling, Construction Continues on Randall's Island (Daily News, Feb 13, 2008)
Mayor Calls for Greener Bronx (Daily News, Feb 12, 2008)
Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe writes that new and renovated parks are transforming communities in the Bronx and improving the quality of life. In the last five years, he saysm more than $158 million has been invested in Bronx park improvements, including new waterfront parks, greenways and recreational facilities.
Parks Could Get Cameras (NY Post, Feb 11, 2008)
City Looks to Brighten Parachute Jump (Associated Press, Feb 8, 2008)
Cost of New Yankee Stadium Up to $1.3 Billion (NY Sun, Feb 8, 2008)
Toxic Turf Ban Fight in Albany (Metro, Feb 7, 2008)
Park Rehab Causes Alarm With Uncovered Graves (Metro, Feb 6, 2008)
Judge Voids City Plan to Let Private Schools Build and Use Fields on Randalls Island (NY Post, Feb 1, 2008)
Deal Over Randalls Island Sports Fields Is Voided (NY Times, Feb 1, 2008)
MTA Eyes Park for Fulton Transit Center (Daily News, Jan 31, 2008)
Village Residents Fight Planned Entertainment Complex on Pier (NY Times, Jan 30, 2008)
Village Wants to Keep Its Fields as They Are on Pier 40 (NY Times, Jan 30, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Construction Begins (NY Sun, Jan 30, 2008)
City Wants to Sell Naming Rights of Parks Department Attractions (NY Post, Jan 25, 2008)
Developer Quits Pier 57 Project Due to Investigation (NY Sun, Jan 25, 2008)
New Rules May Grill Red Hook Vendors (Daily News, Jan 25, 2008)
City Parks Officials Seek Safety Review of Synthetic Surfaces (NY Times, Jan 24, 2008)
Union Square Rehab to Slim Down Farmers’ Market (Metro, Jan 24, 2008)
City Questions Use of Turf (Metro, Jan 23, 2008)
City Intends to Renovate Landmark Pier as a Hub (NY Times, Jan 22, 2008)
New York's East River to Host Artist Eliasson's 'Waterfalls' (Bloomberg, Jan 16, 2008)
City Land 'Giveaway' in South Bronx (NY Post, Jan 15, 2008)
Don’t Feed the Pigeons Here. But Over There, OK (City Room, Jan 15, 2008)
Bronx Golf Course Moves Forward At City's Expense (NY Times, Jan 14, 2008)
Dispute over Ridgewood Reservoir (Daily News, Jan 13, 2008)
The Ridgewood Reservoir could one day feature a lighted bicycle loop, an environmental learning center and "meandering meadows," as part of a potential $50 million restoration of the heavily wooded former reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border. But the parks department's own hired consultants warned against any "major disturbances" of what is one of the city's last remaining swaths of untamed woodland.
Neighbors Fight for Harlem Garden (Daily News, Jan 13, 2008)
The 116th Street Block Association, a nonprofit founded by locals in 1976, plans to build 55 apartments on the garden site for families making $40,000 or less. The project threatens a community garden and so pits nighbor versus neighbor.
City Trees To Be Cloned, Planted in Boroughs (NY Sun, Jan 10, 2008)
Harlem Residents To Square Off Vs. City Over Randalls Island (NY Sun, Jan 10, 2008)
City Settles Great Lawn Protest Lawsuit (NY Times, Jan 9, 2008)
Bronx Groups Have Not Received Promised Funds from Yankees (NY Times, Jan 7, 2008)
Officials Call for Investigation Into Cost Overruns at Filtration Plant (Norwood News, Jan 4, 2008)
City Wants More Power Over Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Observer, Jan 3, 2008)
In Winds of Winter, High LIne Park Takes Shape (NY Times, Jan 2, 2008)
Taxpayers May Have to Pay for Ferry Point (NY Post, Dec 30, 2007)
Taxpayers may have to ante up $20 million to $25 million to complete the Ferry Point golf course in The Bronx, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said. The private developer who began the project during the Giuliani administration abandoned it.
Prospect Park Crime Among City's Lowest (Daily News, Dec 27, 2007)
Washington Square Park Plan Threatens Trees (AM New York, Dec 21, 2007)
'Iconic' Design Chosen for Governors Island (NY Sun, Dec 20, 2007)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Coming Soon (Daily News, Dec 20, 2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/arts/design/20gove.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin (NY Times, Dec 20, 2007)
More than 10 years after the Coast Guard left Governors Island in New York Harbor, a team of architects has been selected to design a grandly whimsical green 40-acre park on its southern half that public officials hope will ultimately attract commercial development.
A Pushcart Vendor Defies the City (NY Times, Dec 19, 2007)
Group Calls for Audit of Filtration Plant (Daily News, Dec 19, 2007)
The citizen panel overseeing work at the controversial Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park has voted to call for an outside audit of the project's disastrous finances.
Brnx Resident Dispute Plan to Replace Parkland (Daily News, Dec 18, 2007)
Opponents of the city's decision to hand 22 acres of public parkland to the Yankees for the team's new stadium have taken issue with the Parks Department plan to replace the parks, which it is required to do by law.
Blinding Headlights Make Part of West Side Greenway Unusable (StreetsBlog, Dec 14, 2007)
Turf Concerns Get Council Hearing (Metro, Dec 13, 2007)
Report Throws Water on Washington Square Fountain Move (Metro, Dec 13, 2007)
New Williamsburg Park Overwhelmed by Goose Droppings (Gowanus Lounge, Dec 12, 2007)
In a Park Known for Battles, a Lost Fight Over Its Renovation (City Room, Dec 6, 2007)
State Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Take Land from Energy Company for Parkland (Brooklyn Papers, Dec 6, 2007)
Washington Square Park Plan to Move Forward (Metro, Dec 4, 2007)
Renovation at Washington Square Park (NY Times, Dec 4, 2007)
Beaver Lodge Seen on Bronx River (Daily News, Dec 4, 2007)
A new beaver lodge has been spotted on the banks of the Bronx River where it winds through the New York Botanical .Garden, according to the Bronx River Alliance. It's the second to show up in the borough recently,
Greenpoint-Wiliamburg Park Could Become a Reality (Daily News, Nov 29, 2007)
A planned 28-acre park on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront will finally be built if a state Assembly bill to be introduced Thursday is passed.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Stalled (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
Ciyt Buys East River Island (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
South Brother Island is slated to be a bird refuge.
Politicians Seek Probe of Water Plant Costs (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
All but three members of the Bronx delegation to the state Assembly have formally requested hearings - some possibly with subpoena power - to investigate the stunning cost overruns on the water filtration plant being built under Van Cortlandt Park.
Chicago's Alley Go Green (NY Times, Nov 26, 2007)
Chicago has decided to retrofit its alleys with environmentally sustainable road-building materials under its Green Alley initiative, something experts say is among the most ambitious public street makeover plans in the country. In a larger sense, the city is rethinking the way it paves things.
Washington Square Park Rehab Ready to Go (Metro, Nov 20, 2007)
Pier D Stands Out in the West Side’s Industrial Past (City Room, Nov 19, 2007)
Yankee Stadium Gobble Up Last Bit of Parklent (Daily News, Nov 13, 2007)
The last patch of parkland to be taken for the new Yankee Stadium project was fenced off last week, so construction of a parking garage could begin.
Mosholu Driving Range Re-opens (Norwood News, Oct 30, 2007)
The driving range at Mosholu Golf Course has re-opened after being shut down for most of the summer because of safety and liability issues.
Parks Department Wants to Raze the Ridgewood Reservoir (Metro, Oct 25, 2007)
Turf Moratorium (Metro, Oct 25, 2007)
Anger Oer City Plans to Destroy Forest (Daily News, Oct 21, 2007)
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe delivered a shock to nature lovers and community activists last week when he said the city is planning to level more than 20 acres of dense forest in Ridgewood Reservoir to make way for recreational facilities, attendees of the meeting said.
New Walkway Along Hudson River (NY Post, Oct 18, 2007)
Man Eyes More Manhattan Acreage (NY Times, Oct 16, 2007)
Mayor Kicks Off Tree Planting (NY Sun, Oct 10, 2007)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg kicked off his campaign to bring 1 million trees to New York over the next decade by planting a Carolina Silverbell on a street corner in the Bronx yesterday. The program, Million Trees NYC, is designed to expand the city's urban forest by 20 percent and in the process make the air cleaner, raise property values, save energy and keep hot streets cool.
City Recreation Centers Experience Membership Decline (Daily News, Oct 10, 2007)
Fewer people are joining city recreation centers that recently went from free to fee. The city's recreation centers experienced a nearly 20 percent drop in membership last year - and new fees in low-income neighborhoods are to blame.
City Golf Course May HaveBeen Used as Illegal Landfill (Daily News, Oct 9, 2007)
Critics suspect the developer of a city golf course in the Bronx charged contractors to take excavated fill from construction sites and dump it at the site at Ferry Point.
City's High Bridge to Get Makeover (Daily News, Oct 7, 2007)
High Bridge, a long-shuttered elegant 19th-century pedestrian bridge,is expected to reopen in 2011 - more than 40 years after it closed.
Yankees Billed Taxpayers for Souvenirs, Bar Tabs (Associated Press, Oct 4, 2007)
Group Stumps for Tree-Planting in Ridgewood (Daily News, Oct 2, 2007)
Some 23 members of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association conducted a sweeping survey of the neighborhood to see where new street trees can be planted. Now they want the city to follow through
Officials Boost Columbia Expansion (NY Sun, Sep 27, 2007)
Manhattan President Supports Columbia Expansion (NY Observer, Sep 27, 2007)
City to Preserve Staten Island Wetland (Staten Island Advance, Sep 27, 2007)
The city has announced that Arlington Marsh Cove will be ceded to Parks Department and maintained as parkland
Bronx Residents Don’t Like Temporary Replacement for Macombs Dam Park (Village Voice, Sep 26, 2007)
With Financing in Doubt, City Cancels Plans for Randalls Island Water Park (NY Post, Sep 24, 2007)
The Bloomberg administration has canceled its plans to build a $215 million water theme park on Randalls Island, a plan first drawn up by the Giuliani administration.
City Cancels Plans for Randalls Island Water Park (Daily News, Sep 22, 2007)
The city pulled the plug yesterday on an eight-year plan to build a suburban-style water park on Randalls Island. The decision was a victory for area residents who opposed the 26-acre water park, which was first proposed in 1999 and was approved in April 2006.
Randalls Island Proposal Troubled (AM New York, Sep 18, 2007)
Controller Faults City on Extending Water Park Deadline (Daily News, Sep 18, 2007)
The Parks Department broke a city law by giving a secret extension to the developer of a Randalls Island water park after the company blew the deadline to line up financing, a top city official charged yesterday.
Minority Contractors Say Filtration Deck Stacked Against Them (Norwood News, Sep 6, 2007)
Despite laws requiring large firms to award a percentage of subcontracting jobs to certified minority contractors on large public projects like the Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park, small contractors are finding that the certification process, high insurance costs and a lack of political connections make it tough to win bids.
Croton Water Plant Called a Monstrous Boondoggle (Daily News, Sep 4, 2007)
Floating Pool Attracted 63,000 (Daily News, Sep 4, 2007)
Thousands of New Yorkers swam on a pool docked on the Broklyn waterfront or relaxed on an adjoining "beach" this summer.
Floating Pool May Set Sail for New Borough Next Year (NY Post, Aug 30, 2007)
Is Gentrification Transforming the City’s Public Spaces? (City Room, Aug 16, 2007)
Cutting the Lawn (NY Times, Aug 13, 2007)
On city playing fields, artificial surfaces are quickly replacing grass.
Creating a New Park in Brooklyn (Daily News, Aug 10, 2007)
Profile of Marianna Koval, executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
Queens Parks Net $111 Million in Funding for Playgrounds (Daily News, Aug 9, 2007)
City Designates Pools Landmarks (Newsday, Aug 3, 2007)
Coney Island Park Gets $40 Million Makeover (NY Post, Aug 2, 2007)
A downtrodden park near Coney Island that has been underused for nearly half a century will be getting a spectacular $40 million makeover starting next year, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday.
Central Park Road Closed Another Hour (Newsday, Aug 1, 2007)
Mayor’s Tree Proposal Requires Help From Residents (NY Sun, Aug 1, 2007)
To accomplish Mayor Bloomberg's goal of planting 1 million new trees throughout the five boroughs by 2030, the city is counting on New York residents to do about half the work and foot a large chunk of the bill.
Randall's Island Rebirth (Metro, Jul 24, 2007)
Speedy Web Surfing in City Parks (AM New York, Jul 24, 2007)
City Beaches Get Poor Marks from Parks Group (AM New York, Jul 18, 2007)
Schoolyards Become Local Parks (Metro, Jul 3, 2007)
Bloomberg: Fear Holiday Swim, Not Terror (Daily News, Jul 3, 2007)
After acknowledging the NYPD is on heightened alert, Bloomberg said New Yorkers have more to fear from unguarded beaches and pools than from terrorists.
Brooklyn Heights to Get Floating Pool (NY Post, Jun 21, 2007)
As Threats Mounts, Communities Fight to Save Their Gardens (City Limits, Jun 20, 2007)
Mats Make Beaches Wheelchair Accessible (NY Post, Jun 19, 2007)
Gehry to Design Manhattan Playground (NY Post, Jun 7, 2007)
Transportation Commissioner Considers Closing Central Park to Cars for Summer (NY Post, Jun 6, 2007)
A New Vision for Gateway Park (Metro, Jun 5, 2007)
Petition Drive for a Pool in Prospect Park (Metro, May 31, 2007)
Cost for Bronx Water Filtratio Plant Skyrockets (Daily News, May 31, 2007)
n 2004, the city decided to build a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park, arguing it was cheaper than other locations. But the the cost of the project has skyrocketed from $1.3 billion to $2.1 billion - and that may just be the start.
Williamsburg Park to Open on Weekends (Metro, May 23, 2007)
Public School Playgrounds Open for Summer (NY Post, May 18, 2007)
Dog Off-Leash Hours Made Official in Parks (NY Post, May 11, 2007)
Gateway Recreation Area Rated Worst National Park (NY Times, May 9, 2007)
Crime Rate Plunges In City's Parks (Daily News, May 7, 2007)
Crime in many of the city's largest parks plunged 75% in the first three months of the year compared to the final three months of 2006, police said yesterday.
Brooklyn Named Most Paved-Over Place in Nation (Daily News, May 4, 2007)
How the Abandoned High Line Became a Glamorous Brand (New York Magazine, May 2, 2007)
A Shady Plan by the Mayor That (NY Times, Apr 22, 2007)
The city intends to plant a million trees during the next 10 years, one of 127 initiatives that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will announce on Sunday.
Public Advocate Calls for Testing of Turf in Parks (Metro, Apr 17, 2007)
Parks Department Officially Cuts the Leash on Dogs (AM New York, Apr 11, 2007)
Parks Department Rejects Proposal to Study Risks of Artificial Turf (Metro, Apr 4, 2007)
Parks Department Battles Graffiti (NY Post, Mar 23, 2007)
Lawmaker Vows Tougher Legislation on Park Vandals (NY Post, Mar 23, 2007)
Graffiti in the city's parks increased three-fold between 2005 and 2006, prompting a City Council member who sponsored laws cracking down on graffiti vandals to promise even tougher legislation.
The Reopening of City Hall Park (Village Voice, Mar 14, 2007)
Council Moves Toward Ban on Metal High School Bats (NY Times, Mar 13, 2007)
Court Approves Washington Square Park Redesign, Reversing Injunction (NY Sun, Mar 9, 2007)
Officials Begin Campaign to Find Lifeguards (NY 1, Feb 22, 2007)
Randalls Island Ball Field Plan Approved (Daily News, Feb 15, 2007)
Vote Nears On Randall (Metro, Feb 13, 2007)
Thirty private groups — from St. Francis College in Brooklyn to St. Barnabas Gaelic Football Association in the Bronx — already keep padlocks on 64 athletic fields in 46 parks. That means a bit more than 10 percent of the city’s natural-grass ballfields are reserved for exclusive use.
Riverside Park Is City (NY Post, Jan 10, 2007)
Effects of Maintenance Cuts at (Metro, Jan 3, 2007)
High Line Threatened By Plans For Development, Advocate Says (Metro, Dec 8, 2006)
Health Board Gives Dogs Time and Space to Run Free (AM New York, Dec 6, 2006)
MTA Gives $11M To Parks Dept. For Use Of Playground To Start Constructing Second Avenue Subway (Metro, Dec 5, 2006)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will pay $11 million to the Parks Dept. for the use of a playground at 96th Street to serve as a staging area for construction of the Second Avenue Subway.
“We couldn’t build a new playground, because there isn’t any real estate available in a neighborhood like that,” said Joshua Laird, chief of planning for the Parks Dept. “So we’re fixing up other parks in the area that are going to receive more use.”
Yet the three parks getting the money — Thomas Jefferson, Marcus Garvey and Harlem River Park — are between 16 to 31 blocks away from the Marx Brothers Playground at 96th and Second.
The Parks Department Reveals A Plan To Reopen High Bridge Pedestrian Span (NY Post, Nov 18, 2006)
Parks revealed a plan yesterday to reopen the High Bridge pedestrian span, connecting Washington Heights and The Bronx, which has been closed since 1970.
USS Intrepid Stuck In Mud (Metro, Nov 7, 2006)
Mayor Considers Changes to Controversial Randall (Daily News, Nov 3, 2006)
Top aides to Mayor Bloomberg have agreed to consider changes to a deal the Parks Department quietly negotiated earlier this year with a group of Manhattan's richest private schools for use of planned new athletic fields at Randalls Island Park.
City Holds Tense Hearing Over Dog Leash Law (NY Sun, Nov 2, 2006)
Mayor Agrees To One More Fashion Week In Bryant Park (NY Post, Oct 13, 2006)
Can Beautiful Parks Survive Without Proper Funding? E.G. Barretto Point Park In The Bronx (Metro, Oct 9, 2006)
Group Threatens Lawsuit To Reopen Cordoned-Off Area Of City Hall Park (Daily News, Sep 26, 2006)
Parks Bias Case Gets Green Light (Daily News, Sep 23, 2006)
Black and Hispanic workers in the city's Parks Department will get their day in court to press their case that they were paid and promoted less than whites.
Helicopter Survey Finds High Level of Radium in Staten Island Park (Daily News, Sep 22, 2006)
Judge Rules Discrimination Suit Against Parks Department Has Merit (Metro, Sep 22, 2006)
Council To Hold Hearings On Concessions In Parks (Metro, Aug 22, 2006)
Tennis Center In Flushing Will Be Renamed After Billie Jean King (Associated Press, Aug 4, 2006)
Compromise Reached On Black Gay Pride Party At Jacob Riis Park (Daily News, Aug 4, 2006)
National Park Service Approves Yankee Stadium Plan (Metro, Jul 19, 2006)
Politics Influenced Concert Decision (NY Sun, Jul 19, 2006)
A New York City parks department official took the upcoming mayoral election into account in denying permission for a concert of John Lennon's music last year on Central Park's Great Lawn.
After Delays, Wireless Web Comes to Parks (NY Times, Jul 6, 2006)
New Downtown Green Space Unveiled (Metro, Jul 6, 2006)
Funding Needed for Lower East Side Park (Metro, Jun 14, 2006)
Battle over Yankee Stadium Continues in Bronx Community Board (Metro, Jun 8, 2006)
Parks Get Smaller Share of City Budget (Metro, Jun 7, 2006)
Port Authority Donates Land For Brooklyn Bridge Park (Metro, Jun 1, 2006)
Governors Island Will Host Celebrity Golf Tournament (Daily News, May 25, 2006)
State Pays $200,000 to Woman Injured by Beach Umbrella (Daily News, May 18, 2006)
New York Parks To Offer Free Web Access (NY Sun, May 16, 2006)
Forget paying a fee to log in at the coffee shop or hacking into a neighbor's wireless connection: Starting this summer, New Yorkers will have free access to the Internet at locations in the city's largest parks, officials said yesterday.
City To Confine Horse-Drawn Carriages To Central Park (Newsday, May 11, 2006)
The horse-drawn carriage -- its velvety banquette seats, the legendary views of Central Park, the clip-clop, clip-clop sound of horseshoes on pavement -- is a venerable city institution, harking back to the simpler days of old New York.
City to Limit Car Traffic in Central Park and Prospect Park (NY Times, May 9, 2006)
Bloomy Gloomy on World Fair in City (Daily News, May 6, 2006)
Bring the World's Fair back to New York City? No thanks. Less than a week after advocates began drumming up support to bring the World's Fair back to New York, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he wasn't interested.
Children Face Perilous Playgrounds, Statewide Survey Finds (Metro, Apr 21, 2006)
Legal Snag Possible for New Water Park (Metro, Apr 12, 2006)
Though plans for a $168 million water park on Randalls Island won approval yesterday from the Franchise and Concession Review Committee as expected, there was an element of surprise at the meeting. Attorney John Siegal showed up with his client Barry Akrongold, a developer who claimed he was eliminated from the bidding process.
Yankees Win New Stadium in Council Vote (NY Times, Apr 6, 2006)
The New York Yankees' effort to build a new stadium cleared its biggest hurdle yesterday with lopsided City Council votes supporting the team's ambitious plan to knock down the Bronx institution known around the world as the House that Ruth Built.
Parks Law May Trip Up Yankee Stadium (Metro, Mar 28, 2006)
When the City Council holds its first public meeting today on the proposed new Yankee Stadium, a little-known federal law will hang over the proceedings. It could derail the project, or at least slow it down.
In May 1979, the National Park Service gave $422,650 for improvements at Macombs Dam Park, and this grant gives the agency final say over whether the Yankees can use 22 acres of parkland for a new stadium.
The Yankees want to build the new ballpark next to the current one because “there wouldn’t be revenues coming in” if the team moved to Shea Stadium, as it had during its 1970s renovation, team president Randy Levine has said.
But this reasoning may not meet the federal requirements set forth in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, which says a park receiving federal money can be converted to another use only if “all practical alternatives” have been evaluated. The converted parkland must also be replaced with parks of equal value, “usefulness and location.”
A Look At The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, Along 14 Miles Of Waterfront (Metropolis Magazine, Feb 28, 2006)
Design of Flight 587 Memorial Finally Gets Green Light (NY 1, Feb 9, 2006)
Plan Opposed For Restaurant In Renovated Union Square Park (NY Sun, Jan 31, 2006)
The Bloomberg administration's revised plans to put an expanded eating establishment in the northern end of Union Square Park is angering some lawmakers, park advocates, and area residents.
Sides Clash on Proposed Yankee Stadium Project (Metro, Jan 12, 2006)
Up Close: Community Rage Over Yankee Plan (Metro, Jan 12, 2006)
New Plan for River Park in Brooklyn (Metro, Dec 14, 2005)
A plan to turn a swath of the Brooklyn waterfront into an Olmstead-like park became clearer last night when the park's designer unveiled a new model of the plan. It includes basketball courts, piers for kayaks and even space for a farmer's market under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Flight 587 Memorial Designer Selected (Newsday, Nov 17, 2005)
Ground Zero Memorial to be Open Round the Clock (Daily News, Nov 9, 2005)
Plans Revised for Washington Square Park, Except for Fountain (NY 1, Sep 19, 2005)
Mayor Orders Cleanup of Possible Stadium Site (Newsday, Aug 26, 2005)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday ordered the immediate cleanup of the Fountain of the Planets -- the site Queens politicians and the New York Jets have targeted for a new stadium.
Queens BP Would Swap Parks for Stadium (Daily News, Aug 26, 2005)
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said she would gladly give up a portion of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, including the Fountain of the Planets, in order to get a football stadium for the Jets on the site. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg said trading parkland for a stadium would be a tough decision.
First Steps Announced To Turn Fresh Kills Garbage Dump Into A Park More Than Twice The Size Of Central Park (NY 1, Aug 23, 2005)
The city on Monday announced a $6 million, 28-acre park to be built on Staten Island, the first step of a $100 million plan to turn the former Fresh Kills landfill into a park two-and-a-half times the size of Central Park.
The new park, to be called Owl Hollow Fields at Fresh Kills, will include 10 acres of recreation space, with two synthetic and two natural turf soccer fields, along with fitness and nature trails.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2006 and be completed by the fall of 2007.
On Land Acquired for Parks, Big Plans Followed by Neglect (NY Times, Aug 12, 2005)
Health And Safety Violations At 50 Of City (Newsday, Jul 26, 2005)
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