New York City’s public space is increasingly contested. Public pools rely on the presence of armed officers to open on time. Large gatherings are increasingly ringed by barricades. The parks department manages more than 30,000 acres of public space with just a tiny fraction of the city budget. These stories are about those spaces and the fights over who controls them.
STORIES IN THIS SERIES
Building the Future of NYC
To kick off All Cooper Weekend, WNYC’s Liam Quigley moderates a panel of Cooper Union alumni featuring City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, artist David Brooks, and architect Savina Romanos. Tickets are Free.
Plan to add marina in Greenpoint flames tensions in rapidly changing neighborhood
The proposal from two local business owners, first reported by Greenpointers, would transform the six-acre WNYC Transmitter Park, which features a sweeping view of the Manhattan skyline and a defunct radio facility.
The private club opening at Jacob Riis, “The People’s Beach”
A new private club is slated to open this month at Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula. Dubbed “The Peoples Beach,” the park has a long history as an informal gathering place for the LGBTQ community.
Decades-old NYC policy requires NYPD to open public pools, leading to frequent delays
City data shows parks department employees reported cops were late to their shifts during 214 pool sessions last summer, which breaks down to nearly three incidents per day over the course of the season.
Jacob Riis bathhouse on track to reopen as private club by end of July
After nearly a decade-long, $88 million renovation, the long-abandoned 1932 Jacob Riis bathhouse will open this summer as the Rockaway Ocean Club, featuring a members-only pool, concert venue, and eventually a hotel with rooftop restaurant.
Manhattan’s Park Avenue would look more like a park under plan pushed by Mamdani
The city transportation department released new designs for an overhaul of the street north of the MetLife building up to East 57th Street that would widen its pedestrian medians by removing a traffic lane in each direction.
NYPD barricades Washington Square Park ahead of 4/20 weed party
Police on Monday morning pulled out all the stops to avoid a repeat of the snowball fiasco. They checked parkgoers’ bags as they entered, and asked them if they had fireworks, glass bottles or alcohol.
Mamdani plans to ban cars on part of Grand Army Plaza, connect arch to Prospect Park
The city transportation department plans to ban cars from the southern edge of Grand Army Plaza in a move that will connect the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch directly to Prospect Park, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday.
The social media influencers now run Washington Square Park
On any given day, dozens of young people scour the downtown park with smartphones and microphones, looking for people to interview. Buskers and dog walkers increasingly compete for space with tripods, even in corners of the park with well-earned reputations for grittiness.
Snowball-gate: Washington Square Park incident pits Mamdani against NYPD
“It looks like a snowball fight," Mamdani said. But did it?
Fight over Elizabeth Street Garden’s future heads to court
A new lawsuit filed by the group Haven Green argues the mayor does not have unilateral authority to declare the site as parkland.
Mayor Adams aims to save Elizabeth Street Garden by making it a park
The mayor proposed designating the garden as a city park in a last-ditch effort to prevent its eviction.
Elizabeth Street Garden will be evicted if Mamdani makes good on pledge
The mayoral candidate said he would move forward with affordable housing on the site if elected.
A Manhattan parking lot on the East River will be transformed into a public park
The site will become green space as part of a broader effort to expand public access to the waterfront.
Fort Greene group throws shade at planned tower over potential effect on park
Residents say a proposed high-rise would cast a long shadow over Fort Greene Park.
Elizabeth Street Garden to remain as Adams administration drops eviction
The announcement by the mayor's office is the latest turn in a yearslong legal battle over the fate of the garden.
A Queens community garden said its members must be anti-Zionist. Now it faces eviction.
Parks department officials wrote the statement of values at Sunset Community Garden that sparked the controversy.
