New York City’s vibrant energy is often born from its dense, chaotic mix. It’s a place where groundbreaking ideas spark from chance encounters amidst towering skyscrapers, intricate subway networks, bustling sidewalks, and a mosaic of neighborhoods, each as unique as an individual nation.

This sprawling urban labyrinth, built upon what were once natural landscapes of oaks, wetlands, and dogwoods, has paradoxically enabled human civilization to thrive.

However, cramming 8.5 million people into just a few hundred square miles, all encircled by water, inevitably leads to a scarcity of open space. This creates a constant struggle over the city’s remaining undeveloped areas: its beloved parks, scenic tree-lined riverbanks, and even overlooked, grassy lots.

For its residents, a respite from this relentless urban rhythm has always been not just desired, but essential.

This delicate balance is more crucial than ever as New York grapples with its most severe housing crisis in nearly six decades. The city urgently needs new homes and land for development. But what does this pressing need imply for the future of its precious open spaces?

The way New Yorkers perceive and utilize these green sanctuaries could dramatically shape the city’s trajectory.

Green vs. Growth: A Constant Urban Dilemma

In Queens, a small plot owned by St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, barely a quarter-acre of earth, scattered trees, and a few toys, might seem insignificant. Yet, on a recent weeknight, over 100 residents converged at a nearby public school, anxious to learn if this vital neighborhood playground would be sold off to a developer.

Donovan Finn, an urban planner and local resident of Jackson Heights, explained to the concerned crowd: “The fundamental issue is that once land is developed, the prospect of it ever reverting to park space is virtually nonexistent.”

While the church is eager for a swift sale, many neighbors are pushing for the Parks Department to acquire the land, ensuring it remains a public playground. Residents of Jackson Heights lament the scarcity of green areas, making even this modest plot incredibly valuable.

Across the city, a similar desperate sentiment has fueled long-standing debates: how to balance the preservation of green spaces with other pressing urban demands, such as housing.

Historically, such tensions led to events like the displacement of Seneca Village in the 1850s—a thriving settlement of Black landowners—to make way for Central Park, now one of the world’s most iconic urban green spaces. Recently, during New York Fashion Week, designer Natalie Belle honored this lost community by staging a show with Black models at the very site.

In 2015, the housing department faced criticism for proposing small apartment buildings on public lots. A protracted battle over the fate of Lower Manhattan’s Elizabeth Street Garden, eyed for housing development, recently concluded with the city effectively abandoning its plans a few months back.

Brooklyn has seen its share of outrage too; the prospect of new developments casting shadows over the beloved Brooklyn Botanic Garden or obstructing the picturesque views from Green-Wood Cemetery has consistently ignited public outcry.

Nearly a century ago, the city’s controversial urban planner, Robert Moses, insightfully noted the challenge of advocating for parks when people are already surrounded by nature. He believed that “It is only when their homes are hemmed in by other houses that they begin to feel the necessity for a breathing space of green.”

Nature’s Embrace: NYC’s Collective Backyards

For many New Yorkers, public green spaces aren’t just amenities; they are their only true backyards.

These are the venues for lively barbecues and quinceañeras in Prospect Park, serene yoga sessions on Bryant Park’s meticulously kept lawns amidst Midtown skyscrapers, and the shared plots where aspiring gardeners cultivate herbs and tomatoes they can’t grow at home.

Nestled among Brooklyn brownstones in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the Cedar Tree Garden thrives. A stately fig tree guards its entrance, while tomato vines ascend artfully tilted trellises, and vibrant red and green callaloo and aromatic oregano burst from the soil.

This tranquil spot was once an neglected, overgrown lot. But in 1975, Cecil Prince, who had moved to Brooklyn with his family, began to transform it. Drawing on his childhood experiences farming in Guyana, he meticulously cleaned and cultivated the garden, generously sharing its bounty for free.

“I decided I would bring the essence of the countryside right into the heart of the city,” he remarked.

Over 550 community gardens dot the city, forming a sprawling network of revitalized open spaces where New Yorkers connect and find reprieve from their demanding urban lives.

According to Stephanie Orstad, a New York University medical school professor researching the impact of green spaces, these areas “can be profoundly restorative, offering significant stress-reducing benefits through contact with nature.” She emphasizes that for residents of urban environments like New York City, access to high-quality green spaces provides a multitude of health advantages.

Deep within Manhattan’s bustling Financial District, where tourists and bankers jostle for sidewalk space, a hidden gem awaits. Ascend the steps off a section of Water Street, and the concrete jungle gives way to a tranquil oasis: a park known as the Elevated Acre.

Here, amidst lush greenery, workers can be found basking in the sun or enjoying a peaceful lunch, headphones on, effectively muting the relentless din of taxis and trucks from the adjacent Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive.

Climate Resilience: Green Spaces as Urban Shields

Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens, a sprawling 23-acre site, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Once home to noisy manufacturing plants and factories, it now features carbon-capturing grasses, a newly restored salt marsh, elevated earthen mounds, and a concealed 600-gallon reservoir beneath its artificial turf—all designed to protect nearby developments from East River flooding.

As the sun began to set, 43-year-old Jonathan Perez and his 4-year-old daughter, Julie, enjoyed a playful evening on the park’s verdant grass.

Father and daughter visit the park daily. Mr. Perez proudly showed spots where they’d discovered a praying mantis and a monarch butterfly caterpillar—experiences he hopes will foster in Julie his own deep appreciation for nature.

“There’s so much to discover here,” he enthused.

New York City’s past is marked by numerous instances of environmental degradation. Concurrently, it stands as a stark example of a warming planet’s perils, with events like Hurricane Sandy in 2012 claiming dozens of lives and devastating countless buildings and neighborhoods.

Now, green spaces are increasingly taking on dual functions: providing recreation while simultaneously acting as crucial defenses against climate change. Bioswales—small, plant-filled channels designed to capture stormwater—adorn medians and sidewalks citywide. Rooftop gardens absorb rainfall, and strategically placed ponds prevent streets from becoming overwhelmed by downpours.

However, such projects come with a hefty price tag, notes Jessica Sechrist, executive director of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy. Last year alone, her team faced the immense task of removing 2,000 bags of weeds, in addition to managing a small fire.

With a surge in visitors and their canine companions, she explains, the maintenance demands for this and other city parks now vastly outstrip the allocated budget.

“It’s a truly wonderful park,” she stated, “but it’s frankly reaching its limits.”

Entertainment for All: NYC’s Accessible Green Venues

While enjoying New York City can often come with a hefty price tag, its green spaces frequently offer recreation for free.

Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan regularly hosts free outdoor movie screenings and yoga classes. Meanwhile, the Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Queens provides a habitat for the region’s diverse wildlife, from migratory birds to fascinating terrapin turtles.

For those seeking more active pursuits, over a dozen golf courses citywide offer rounds for $25 to $70. The Parks Department also facilitates reservations for fields dedicated to soccer, Frisbee, cricket, football, baseball, volleyball, and many other sports.

The Moore Jackson Community Garden in Woodside, Queens, once served as a cemetery for a British loyalist family, according to Elizabeth O’Connor, who resides directly opposite. The original gravestones, long buried, now stand upright in the rear, while the majority of the garden’s 20,000 square feet is a vibrant open space, teeming with diverse plants like rainbow Swiss chard and collard greens.

Ms. O’Connor recounts a typical morning: ‘I was watering, and there was a pregnant woman stretching on the benches, another doing her workout, and a guy on his laptop, sipping coffee. It’s a truly community space.’

However, the garden truly shines with its unique theatrical and performance events. One year saw interns construct a charming puppet theater, and today, it hosts regular concerts and an annual theater festival featuring plays centered on garden themes. Just last Saturday, local children’s stories were brought to life by actors on its stage.

Journeying northward into the Bronx, Starlight Park serves as the launching point for canoeing and kayaking adventures, courtesy of the Bronx River Alliance. For decades, the Bronx River was notoriously polluted, but through guided tours and dedicated ‘community paddling’ days, the alliance is working to rekindle public appreciation and investment in the river’s ecological revival.

Beneath the surface, hundreds of iridescent menhaden fish dart in synchronized silver formations, while above, kingfishers punctuate the air with their sharp cries as they flit between trees.

“It’s about forging a connection with nature and the Bronx River in a way that feels utterly unique for New York City,” explained Daniel Ranells, the alliance’s director of programs and operations, as he expertly navigated a canoe upstream.

Transformed Landscapes: NYC’s Reimagined Green Havens

Many of New York’s cherished green spaces boast fascinating past lives.

Manhattan’s iconic High Line, for instance, was originally a railway. Wave Hill, the stunning public garden in the Bronx, was once a grand estate. And Freshkills Park on Staten Island, now the city’s largest new park in decades, remarkably rose from the ashes of a former landfill.

Just a short distance from Starlight Park in the Bronx, Concrete Plant Park still bears the mark of its industrial past: colossal orange barrels stand vertically, silent sentinels of its former concrete plant. Today, visitors relax on benches or blankets under the trees, children play on grassy patches, and subway trains rumble overhead on a nearby bridge.

Within this park, a small sign emerging from dense foliage marks the ‘Bronx River Foodway,’ guiding visitors to a tanbark path where herbs and vegetables can be picked. Otherwise, foraging is generally prohibited throughout the city’s green spaces.

This evolving tapestry of uses reflects the dynamic nature of green spaces, though such transformations are rarely without their challenges.

As Timon McPhearson, a professor of urban ecology at The New School, aptly puts it: ‘Not everyone shares the same vision for these spaces. New York City is, after all, a wonderfully diverse place.’

Produced by Eve Edelheit and Shauntel Lowe. Additional development by Jeff Sisson.