Dear Friend,

The new year signifies new beginnings and 2024 marks an especially exciting beginning for all of us at New City Parks. New City Parks (NCP) is now an independent 501(c)3 public charity! 

After two years of growth partnering with the Open Space Institute, we are ready to take on this new challenge and are extremely grateful to all those who have helped us get to this point. Whether you have been an advisor, partner, community member, or supporter, we could not have done it without you! 

Over the last three years we have been working flat out, determined to deliver new parks as quickly as possible for residents who don’t have access to well-designed and safe community open space. And we are doing it! Right now, we have 10 community designed parks underway. Four more are complete and welcoming visitors – with a fifth on the way soon. And we are scoping for new cities and sites.  

The finished parks are as vibrant as they are welcoming. In this past year the PS 30 Green Schoolyard in Jersey City, NJ opened in May in time to play host to many neighborhood children during city-sponsored summer camps. Then just a month later in June we officially celebrated the re-opening of Malcolm X Park in Poughkeepsie, NY with the Mayor, elected officials, and our community partners. These revitalized spaces feature new playgrounds, beautiful murals, and sports amenities, in addition to new furnishings, trees, garden beds, and more. With the completion of these two projects, over 20,000 nearby residents now have access to quality outdoor space. How amazing is that?  

Scenes from the ribbon cutting ceremonies of PS 30 (top) and Malcolm X Park (bottom).

Not only did we cut the ribbon on these two delightful new green spaces, but we invested in our future work. NCP added four new staff members in 2023 with deep experience in urban park design and stewardship, welcomed six members to our new Board of Directors in September, and started building the NCP Advisory Council, solidifying New City Parks for the future.

Throughout these years of action, we have kept our eyes wide open, learning along the way and adapting to opportunities and challenges. We are focused on knocking down bureaucratic impediments and the legacy of disinvestment that has for too long left our cities without a basic need: safe access to vital outdoor spaces that nourish our minds, bodies, and spirits. 

I’m incredibly proud of the work we have done over the last three years, and I cannot wait to see what we achieve together in 2024 and beyond. 

From all of us at New City Parks, Happy New Year! 

Sincerely, 

Rose Harvey

Executive Director

New City Parks