Advocates rally for NYC Parks in Fort Greene Park.
Photo credit: Courtesy of New Yorkers for Parks
NYC parks advocates gathered in Brooklyn on Saturday to push for more investment into local green spaces amid looming budget cuts to the parks department.
Organized by New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), a group that champions the city’s green spaces, the event was both a rally and a walking tour starting at Fort Greene Park. It brought together elected officials, nature advocates, and residents to highlight various open-space challenges and opportunities.
The event was organized in part to respond to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s allocation of 0.5% of his proposed $127 billion preliminary budget to fund city parks — a figure that falls short of the 1% he pledged on the campaign trail last year.
Advocates called for more funding through the “1% for Parks” campaign and underscored the “urgency of delivering equitable access” to high-quality open spaces throughout the city.
The event also shed light on the needs of more than 12,000 local NYCHA residents in the Fort Greene and Brooklyn Navy Yard area, where advocates said open space quality, accessibility and connectivity remain “uneven despite significant residential growth.”
During the event, advocates discussed their ideas for park priorities, including advancing a new community garden at NYCHA Whitman Houses; exploring the formation of a Fort Greene Improvement District to benefit parks and open space east of Flatbush Avenue; and improving bus operations and safety along the DeKalb-Lafayette corridor, including potential protected bike lanes.
“Today’s walking tour made clear that as Fort Greene and the Brooklyn Navy Yard continue to grow, investment in parks and open space must keep pace,” said Kathy Park Price, director of advocacy and policy at NY4P.
Price added that NY4P gets consistent calls for safer streets and greener spaces.
“At a time of proposed budget cuts, the city must commit to sustained, equitable funding, including through the 1% for parks campaign, to ensure every New Yorker has access to the open spaces they deserve,” she said.
In addition to Fort Greene Park, the guided tour included stops at the Willoughby Avenue Open Street, NYCHA Whitman and Ingersoll Houses, the St. Edwards Street corridor, Walt Whitman Library, Commodore Barry Park, Navy Street & Arbor Place, Flushing Avenue Greenway corridor and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
A spokesperson from NYC Parks offered this statement about the rally to amNewYork: “Parks are an integral part of our city’s social fabric, and this administration will continue working to ensure that New Yorkers have access to the parks and green spaces they deserve.”
Brooklyn Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest, whose district includes Fort Greene, emphasized the need for more open space as development expands throughout the borough.
“Fort Greene Park continues to stand as a testament to what our open spaces mean to this community, where green space is scarce,” she said. “Walking through Fort Greene, the Navy Yard corridor, and our NYCHA campuses powerfully reminds us of both the progress we’ve made and the work still ahead.”