1% for New York City Parks

Parks are some of our city’s most valuable resources. Green space improves mental, physical and emotional health, and makes our city more resilient to extreme heat and flooding. When running for office, now Mayor Adams made a campaign promise to dedicate 1% of the city budget, around $1 billion, to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Unfortunately, he has failed to keep that promise. Parks only received 0.6% of the budget in fiscal year 2023, and now the Mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024 includes an additional 46 million dollar cut from the department’s budget. As we enter another hot summer, millions of New Yorkers in low-income communities without conservancies or private funding will be forced to endure the deterioration of their local park due to inadequate funding for a second year in a row.

We need your help. Budget negotiations are underway, and we need to send a clear message to the Mayor that our city’s greenspaces are a priority and not an afterthought. Fill in your return address in the form on the right and click ‘Start Writing’ to send an email to Mayor Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and City Council Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan, demanding 1% of the budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

And once you fill out your name and address, the rest is automated. We have included a draft email (which you are free to edit as you see fit) in case you are worried about what to say.