A recent study conducted by the Center for an Urban Future concluded that 65 New York City parks will need nearly $6 billion for repairs and restorations in the next decade.
In NYC the average age of a park is over 70 years old. There are 20 parks throughout the five boroughs that haven't seen any major upgrades in over 100 years.
"For decades New York City has provided too little money for basic maintenance and too few staff including plumbers, masons, and gardeners to keep critical park assets from deteriorating and mitigating problems before they grow," the report says. "Just as years of under investment in New York's century-old subway system led to a transit crisis, the maintenance challenges at city park could quickly get a lot worse if more isn't done to upgrade and maintain these aging assets."
The two biggest issues plaguing the public parks are drainage system failures and crumbling retaining walls. According to park employees, drainage problems leave standing water in some parks for weeks at a time. And retaining wall failure can lead to erosion and landslides.
According to the New York Post, the study also found one-quarter of all city parks have crumbling sidewalks, bridges and roadways.
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