"Harnessing NYC's Natural Areas: Boosting Health and Well-Being by Connecting
More New Yorkers to the City's Trails, Forests, and Wetlands"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Replay of event
Event materials

Speakers included:

• Kristen King, Chief of Natural Resources, NYC Parks
• Terri Carta, Executive Director, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
• Cal Hastings, Vice President of Partnerships & Innovation, NYC Outward Bound Schools
• Oded Holzinger, Executive Director, Natural Areas Conservancy
• Morgan Monaco, President, Prospect Park Alliance; Prospect Park Administrator
• Siddhartha Sanchez, Executive Director, Bronx River Alliance

New York City boasts more than 12,000 acres of city-managed forests, wetlands, streams, and other wild landscapes—providing access to nature for the millions of New Yorkers without the means to visit hiking trails or waterfronts in the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and beyond. These wild places are hugely important for the well-being of New Yorkers and their communities, especially at a time when New Yorkers are more stressed, more screen-bound, and more disconnected than ever. But despite their enormous potential, relatively few New Yorkers are even aware of the city’s natural areas and access to them is highly uneven. At the same time, New York City’s natural areas are under growing strain, compounded by inadequate resources and the impact of climate change.

This in-person policy forum explored the vital role of natural areas in New York City, and what's needed to more fully harness these critical resources for New Yorkers. Panelists discussed how to ensure far more New Yorkers know about, have access to, and feel comfortable exploring the city’s natural areas. The discussion delved into where investment is most needed to shore up maintenance and infrastructure needs across the city's natural areas and advanced creative ideas for unlocking more of their potential. We concluded with a session where audience members shared their own ideas for harnessing the city's natural areas.

Research in the upcoming report on access to natural areas is made possible with support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. General operating support for the Center for an Urban Future is provided by The Clark Foundation and The Altman Foundation. CUF also receives ongoing support from several other philanthropic funders.