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Parks advocates say Mayor Zohran Mamdani has failed to fulfill a campaign promise to fund New York City’s green spaces just as they reach a breaking point.

Dirty bathrooms, overfilled trash bins and unmowed lawns have become all-too-common sights across the city’s more than 1,700 parks. Park workers are also responsible for all of the city’s trees. Since this week’s blizzard, there were more than 1,800 complaints to 311 about tree damage. But the park’s forestry unit is among the divisions affected by recent staffing cuts.

“Each administration starts as though everything is fine,” said Adam Ganser, the leader of New Yorkers for Parks, a nonprofit advocacy group. “But the basic things that you want in a thriving park system have not been the norm in New York City for decades now.”

Adrian Benepe, a former parks commissioner, said that along with litter, he has noticed a dearth of gardeners. “And that shows pretty quickly because if you don't have gardeners maintaining a landscape, the weeds grow very fast in New York City,” he said.

“It’s kind of been heartbreaking because there was a time when the average park looked pretty clean and good, and that wasn't so long ago,” Benepe added.

After years near the top of the Trust for Public Land’s ranking of big U.S. cities with the best parks, New York City has fallen out of the top 10. In 2025, it was ranked 13th, trailing Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Boston.

Benepe, who previously worked for the Trust for Public Land, argued that the relative scarcity of open space means that New Yorkers “depend on parks far more than residents of other cities.”

Not only did the mayor’s preliminary budget fall short of his campaign promise to bring funding for parks up to 1% of the city’s total budget, but his proposal also cuts $33.7 million from the parks budget. The total proposed spending on parks is around $654 million. That’s out of a $127 billion budget, or roughly 0.5% — half of his pledge.

Former Mayor Eric Adams ironically began his tenure by adding more than 700 park positions, Ganser said. He also promised to devote 1% of the budget to parks but ended up making steep cuts that the parks have yet to recover from.

Last month, Ganser’s group urged Mamdani to commit to greater funding in a letter co-signed by more than 400 organizations. By their count, budget cuts from prior years have left the parks department short 600 positions.

Maintenance crews are stretched thin as a result of the staffing shortage. During the blizzard, parks staffers were deployed to help remove snow from roadways, bus shelters and crosswalks, Ganser said. “This of course means there are fewer parks workers in parks, clearing snow from parks,” he added.

The cuts to parks — and libraries — are poised to test Mamdani’s popularity among supporters who believed he understood the value of public spaces.

“He’s experienced the city as a young urbanist in a way that a lot of previous mayors have not,” Ganser said.

Last month, the mayor himself acknowledged that parks have been “neglected and underfunded.”

Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement that Mamdani “remains committed to achieving the 1% for parks pledge by the end of his mayoralty.”

She added: “While working families are asked to tighten their belts, the wealthiest New Yorkers and the largest corporations continue to reap extraordinary gains.”

Mamdani has said the city is facing a “generational fiscal crisis.” Pointing to a $5 billion deficit, he has threatened to raise property taxes unless Gov. Kathy Hochul agrees to raise income taxes on the rich.

Ganser, however, rejects the notion that City Hall can’t find enough money for parks.

He says the mayor can make a “meaningful commitment” by restoring the 600 positions and allowing parks to fill new vacancies immediately.

He added: “When we come at an administration with statements about how important parks are, I don’t want to negotiate against ourselves.”

Liam Quigley contributed reporting.

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