As beautiful as the Big Apple’s green space is, the city announced a significant investment on Thursday to make nearly a dozen NYC Parks more eye-catching — and more fun — than ever.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura allocated $50 million in new investments across 10 parks over the next year. The chosen parks span all five boroughs and will get new play equipment for kids, recreation amenities for all ages, and an array of new plants and shrubs for New Yorkers to take in as nature’s eye candy.
“For many New Yorkers, the park is their backyard – a place where they can play a game of pick-up basketball, hold a picnic on the grass, or kick a ball with their kids. These New Yorkers know the difference between a park in disarray and a park that city government has invested in,” Mamdani said. “That is why, today, we are proud to announce $50 million worth of capital investments to ten parks across the city – investments that will allow more than 100,000 New Yorkers in all five boroughs to experience a healthier, cleaner, and more accessible city.”
The mayor said the improvements will benefit more than 116,500 New Yorkers.
Money for the renovations will come from the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), which incorporates community input and targeted capital to improve neglected neighborhood parks.
City officials chose the following city parks for upgrades because they have not been updated in over two decades. They are also located in neighborhoods with the highest need, which officials based on poverty levels and population density and growth:
Bronx
Mott Playground (Concourse)
Fountain of Youth Playground (Mott Haven / Longwood)
Morris Mesa Playground (Mount Hope)
Brooklyn
Van Dyke Playground (Brownsville)
Roebling Playground (South Williamsburg)
Elizabeth Stroud Playground (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
Manhattan
Vladeck Park (Lower East Side)
St. Nicholas Park 133rd St. Playground (Harlem)
Queens
Corona Health Sanctuary (Corona)
Staten Island
Kaltenmeier Playground (Rosebank / Shore Acres)
“All New Yorkers deserve access to clean, safe and high-quality parks – and through our Community Parks Initiative, we’re proud to announce the next 10 parks that will receive key investments in underserved neighborhoods. These renovations will benefit more than 100,000 New Yorkers across all five boroughs,” NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura said.
Renovations improve the ‘level of satisfaction and usage’ of NYC Parks
Health reports have shown that urban parks are increasingly recognized as crucial to human well-being. They also serve as vast ecosystems for local wildlife.
“People who have more access to green environments, such as parks and trails, tend to walk and be more physically active than those with limited access, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website. “The closer people live to a park and the safer they feel in the park, the more likely they are to walk or bike there and use it for physical activity.”
Parks are not only important for improving physical health but also for mental well-being. In fact, researchers from the City University of New York (CUNY) said they recently conducted studies that shed light on the mental health and social benefits of improved park space for New Yorkers.
One study surveyed 1,336 New Yorkers living within a half-mile radius of a CPI park who reported visiting their park at least once in a month. Researchers found that people who participated in activities such as walking and exercising at their local park had higher overall physical activity levels.
“It is exciting to see that CPI has been successful at improving the level of satisfaction and usage of neighborhood parks throughout the city,” Terry Huang, distinguished professor of public health at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, said. “Importantly, the park renovations created the necessary conditions for New Yorkers to benefit from using these parks in terms of their health and well-being.”
Renovations will take three to four years to complete.
“Along with this new investment, NYC Parks has reimagined and reconstructed 70 CPI sites,” Shimamura said. “We are grateful to the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy for its partnership in studying the health and quality-of-life benefits of these projects through the SPARCS study.”
