New York City’s system of parks, occupying nearly 30,000 acres of land, numbering more than 1,700 parks and playgrounds, and serving more than 8 million people is one of the most complex, diverse and extraordinary in the world.  From the coves and forests of Northern Manhattan to the wetlands of Staten Island, the ridges and valleys of the Bronx and the high plateaus which straddle Queens and Brooklyn, it is as much a social ecosystem as a natural one.  Delicately interwoven into the fabric of our city, our natural spaces, and city parks are inextricably tied to the health of an extremely diverse series of communities and constituencies across the five boroughs.  

The ways in which New Yorker’s interact with, utilize and enjoy these parks each day, are simple, complex, highly personalized and often magical and transformative.  They also reveal a fundamental truth: The resiliency and balance of our city is tied to our parks and green spaces.   Thriving public spaces are essential for community engagement, promoting a culture of community and sustaining personal wellbeing.  In a city as complex, diverse and intense as New York, parks are the silent soothers of the urban experience, allowing space for recreation and reflection and a democratic outlet for people of all stripes.  Equitable distribution of resources for parks and green spaces are essential to the health of our cities, and sustainability and resilient design and planning in the face of climate change is an increasing necessity.

A steady and phased process of photographic documentation of representative locations across all five boroughs has produced a body of work which reflects this ecological and cultural diversity, and documents the many ways in which New Yorkers utilize our parks.  These include images of natural beauty, ongoing revitalization efforts, New Yorkers engaged with all aspects of our parks daily, but also images which capture a more subtle dynamic; that of the ongoing dialogue between human beings and nature in all its many forms, which parks provide the vehicle for.  

In doing so, the project touches various constituencies and communities served, as well as issues related to recreation, sustainability, public access, community building and health of communities, accessibility, waterfront design, urban planning and community partnerships. 

Put simply, our people rely on our parks, and our parks rely on our people, and it is this symbiosis which this work makes visible.

Contributing to this campaign now, will allow us to complete additional documentation in the coming months, and support planning efforts as the project moves to its next phases of development, which includes outreach to cultural institutions and other partners. 


 Ft. Greene Park, Brooklyn

Soundview Park, The Bronx

Alley Pond Park, Queens

Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan

Central Park, Manhattan

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Cricket Oval, Idelwild Park, Queens

Fishermen on Jamaica Bay, Queens

Philharmonic Concert, Central Park, Manhattan

Audience listening to Philharmonic Concert, Central Park

Marine Park, Brooklyn

The Rockaways, Queens

View of lower Manhattan looking across Jamaica Bay