New York City may be known as a concrete jungle, but a new report from the Center for an Urban Future highlights the thousands of acres of natural spaces across the five boroughs.
The city manages more than 12,000 acres of forests, wetlands, streams and other wildlife landscapes. But despite the scale of those natural areas, only about 4% of New Yorkers participated in city-based nature programming in 2024.
The report points to several barriers keeping New Yorkers from experiencing these spaces, including safety concerns, limited transit access, understaffing and a lack of maintenance funding. Climate change is also putting additional pressure on the city’s natural areas.
Eli Dvorkin, editorial and policy director at the Center for an Urban Future, joined “Weekends On 1” Sunday to discuss how the city can connect more New Yorkers with its natural spaces.
Tap the video player above to watch the interview.