The groups all belong to the Play Fair Coalition, which advocates<\/a> for the city to invest 1% of its budget in the Parks Department and to site green spaces more equitably throughout the city \u2014 without necessarily tying them to private development projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n The South Bronx event was the first in a planned citywide series of walk-and-talks focusing not only on parks but on waterfront access, tree canopy<\/a>, grass coverage, climate resilience, public health disparities, roadway safety and even pets\u2019 needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n For instance, Mott Haven was recently voted<\/a> by StreetEasy as a top ten dog-friendly NYC neighborhood but has no public dog park, according to Jonas Silva, founder of Dogs of Mott Haven, who is working with the city on a possible site.\u00a0<\/p>\n But funding remains a major obstacle, and mayors past and present have failed to dedicate enough resources to help the city\u2019s parks flourish, according to the Play Fair coalition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even though Mayor Eric Adams promised<\/a> during his campaign to dedicate 1% of the city budget to parks, the Parks Department only received about 0.55% last year and 0.6% this year.<\/p>\n The coalition is closely watching the next mayor\u2019s promises. During the final debate on Oct. 22, Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo each pledged 1% to parks and Republican Curtis Sliwa pledged 2%.\u00a0<\/p>\n Organizers of the walk said parks should not only be designed for recreation but for climate resilience.<\/p>\n With an increased budget, the city could have more beautiful outdoor spaces that also offer tree canopy to combat heat and infrastructure to manage stormwater, leading to more dignified neighborhoods for people on the frontlines of those impacts, especially communities of color, they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The group started at Graham Triangle at East 137th St. and Lincoln Ave. and walked to the partially collapsed<\/a> tower at NYCHA Mitchel Houses, Pulaski Playground on Bruckner Blvd., the Harlem River Yard and Mar\u00eda Sola Community Garden.<\/p>\n At Mitchel Houses, Assembly Member Amanda Septimo pointed out that the only grass on its 16-acre campus remains behind gates, likely due to maintenance costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n But such investments would be worthwhile, she said. Even before the building collapse, Mitchel residents lived with the \u201csubtle inequity and indignity\u201d of being denied access to nature, Septimo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n St. Mary\u2019s Park, the largest park in the South Bronx, is the only one that truly counts as a green space, she said. \u201cThere is not one green space here in Mott Haven.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n Parks as \u2018heat traps\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n The discussion around what counts as a \u201cpark\u201d continued at Pulaski Park on Bruckner Blvd. and Willis Ave.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Though it was renovated<\/a> in 2021 and was bustling with kids playing basketball and climbing on play structures, the park has no grass and no major tree coverage. The nearby Lozada Playground on East 135th St., proved similar.<\/p>\n Many of what the city calls parks are actually \u201cheat traps\u201d because of their concrete surfaces and lack of tree coverage, said Matthew Shore, director of planning and development with South Bronx Unite.<\/p>\n Because of these \u201cheat traps,\u201d South Bronx residents suffer higher asthma rates and more heat-related emergencies than others even within the same borough, Shore said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The tour also stopped at a flood sensor near the waterfront and an air quality monitor installed by South Bronx Unite and ended at Mar\u00eda Sola Community Garden<\/a> on Lincoln Ave., a hidden oasis featuring solar panels, seating, a DJ booth, koi pond and plants selected for stormwater absorption.\u00a0<\/p>\n The garden is an example of a community-led outdoor sanctuary free from developers\u2019 interests, said South Bronx Unite founder Mychal Johnson. He said the garden is \u201cnot manicured, not perfect, but it\u2019s perfect for us.\u201d<\/p>\n With a new mayoral administration beginning soon, NY4P is planning future walk-and-talks to highlight more neighborhoods that are \u201cstarved for parks,\u201d including central Harlem<\/a> and East Flatbush<\/a>, said Executive Director Adam Ganser.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayors going back to Michael Bloomberg have promised 1% for the parks budget, but other priorities, from 9\/11 to the migrant crisis to more mundane needs, have derailed those efforts, he told the Bronx Times during the walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for Mayor Adams, \u201cI can\u2019t tell you why they haven\u2019t done it,\u201d Ganser said.\u00a0Parks are often \u201cthe first to get cut\u201d in budget cycles, and that lost funding is not usually restored, let alone increased, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ganser also said that New Yorkers may be shielded from the full effect of budget cuts because some parks are operated by conservancies, such as Central Park, Fort Tryon Park and Fort Greene Park, which receive private funding regardless of city allocations.<\/p>\n Kathy Park Price, director of advocacy and policy for NY4P, said the South Bronx embodies disinvestment that led to highways, pollution and flooding being more prevalent than green space.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n On the walks, \u201cWe wanted to show the whole spectrum of the park system and the needs,\u201d she told the Bronx Times.\u00a0But it was also meant to encourage people to imagine a future with better outdoor spaces, Park Price said.\u00a0<\/p>\n An increased budget could create cleaner parks and open up access to natural areas, she said.\u00a0\u201cWhat does it look like if we have that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251024_170703-rotated.jpg\")
Trees and grass on the NYCHA Mitchel Houses campus remain behind gates. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251024_143917-rotated.jpg\")
Matthew Shore with South Bronx Unite (holding megaphone) leads the tour to the Harlem River waterfront, which includes a public park created with the luxury Bankside apartment tower. The group advocates for increased waterfront access that is not tied to private development.Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n