New Yorkers for Parks

Mayor Adams' Preliminary Budget cuts NYC Parks by $60M

Success in 2021: $80M restored to NYC Parks!

Budget cuts in 2020 caused parks' worst conditions on record

The Play Fair Coalition rallied and testified for parks twice in 2021

In 2020, we secured 300 NYC Parks workers jobs despite a 14% pandemic budget cut

In 2019, we secured a historic increase of $44 million for NYC Parks

Overview
FY23 Budget Falls Short of Mayor Adams' 1% for Parks Commitment
2021 Budget Restoration
Past Success
The Play Fair Coalition

The Play Fair for Parks campaign is a multi-year advocacy effort that elevates parks and open space issues in NYC with the Play Fair Coalition, 400+ groups and organizations

Co-founded by New Yorkers for Parks, the New York League of Conservation Voters, and District Council 37, the NYC Parks workers’ union

City parks cover 14% of NYC but the NYC Parks budget is just 0.5% of the total City budget – even with the FY22 NYC Parks budget being the largest ever adopted by the city. NYC’s parks are critical infrastructure that have been overlooked and underfunded for too long. The pandemic laid bare the inequities in NYC's park system and highlighted the dire need to fund and build more parks to ensure equitable access for all New Yorkers.

The next Mayor and City Council need to adopt our Five Point Plan for Park Equity and fully dedicate 1% of the budget to NYC Parks so that New Yorkers can finally secure the equitable, 21st-century parks system they deserve.

Take Action for Parks!

FY23 Budget Falls Short of Mayor Adams' 1% for Parks Commitment

Mayor Eric Adams committed to funding NYC Parks with 1% of the NYC budget on the campaign trail, saying, "we need to do everything we can to preserve the future generations of New Yorkers the right to these essential parks.” But his FY23 Executive Budget fails to deliver.

In response, NY4P and the Play Fair Coalition held a rally at City Hall (the largest since the start of the pandemic!) and launched a budget petition.

Want to help? Sign the petition now and tell Mayor Adams that our parks and open spaces deserve 1% of the NYC budget.

2021 Budget Restoration

In 2021, we called on Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council to restore essential funds to the NYC Parks department. NYC Parks received the 2nd largest cut of any agency following COVID-19 austerity measures. That reduction of $84 million caused parks to be in the worst conditions on record while demand for them was at an all-time high.

Elected leaders heard our voices and restored $80M to NYC Parks budget for FY22, making it the largest NYC Parks budget ever adopted by the city!

All of our Play Fair asks were funded through the full fiscal year either through Council, Mayoral, or federal stimulus funds, or a shift of funds from operations to capital budgets.

FY22 Play Fair Budget Platform: $80M to Renew and Restore the Expense Budget for NYC Parks

$58M to reinvest in critical Maintenance and Operations

$10M to baseline the FY21 one-shot 100 City Park Worker and 50 Gardener staff lines
$30M to restore the seasonal staff budget for maintenance and operations workers citywide
$3M to restore the Parks Opportunity Program and provide a pathway to full-time employment
$15M to restore critical parks forestry contracts for tree pruning, stump removal, sidewalk repair, and invasive species control

$4M to reinvest in Recreation and Programming – to restore the Parks Equity Initiative and support park stewardship organizations citywide

$9M to reinvest in Parks Safety

$3M to restore the 50 Urban Park Ranger positions created in the FY20 budget
$6M to restore the 80 Parks Enforcement Patrol positions created in the FY20 budget

$7.9M to reinvest in Nature and Resiliency

$3.4M to restore 15 GreenThumb staff and expand access to plant materials, resources, and tools for community gardeners citywide
$4.5M to continue conserving and caring for our natural forests and begin critical improvements for our City’s wetlands and trails network

Past Success

Watch our last-minute pivot to a Digital Rally for Parks on YouTube!

Adapting to Change in 2020

2020 brought unprecedented challenges but we adapted to continue our advocacy. Our Coalition's campaigning in-person, by phone and email, and on Zoom resulted in 300 secured jobs for NYC Parks workers, despite the agency taking a 14% cut of $84 million.

Of those 300 secured jobs, 150 were made permanent and 150 were renewed just for the year – we'll continue to advocate for those 150 to become permanent, too.

Play Fair Launch in 2019

We kicked off the Play Fair campaign in 2019 and succeeded in getting a historic increase of $44 million into the NYC Parks FY20 budget. We held two rallies in February and May attended by over 200 New Yorkers. The $44 million broke down like this:

$19.1 million for park maintenance workers
$8.2 million for GreenThumb community gardens
$6 million for 80 additional Parks Enforcement Patrol officers
$4 million for 50 additional Urban Park Rangers
$4 million for Forestry Management
$1.7 million to extend the pool and beach season
$1 million for tree stump removal

The Play Fair Coalition

Our Coalition has over 400 groups and organizations focused on parks, transportation, the environment, social justice, and infrastructure from across the five boroughs.

Add your group or organization to the Play Fair Coalition!

The Play Fair Coalition includes: