New York Restoration Project (NYRP) is a non-profit organization that has planted trees, renovated gardens, restored parks, and transformed open space for communities throughout New York City’s five boroughs. It is the only citywide conservancy in New York City that brings private resources to spaces that lack adequate municipal support, with the goal to fortify the City’s aging infrastructure and creating a healthier environment for those who live in the most densely populated and least green neighborhoods.

History

On July 7, 1995,

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

founded the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (NYRP), with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. These include Sherman Creek Park, Highbridge Park, Fort Washington Park, and

Fort Tryon Park Fort Tryon Park is a public park located in the Hudson Heights and Inwood neighborhoods of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The park is situated on a ridge in Upper Manhattan, close to the Hudson River to the west. It extends most ...

in upper Manhattan; and

Roberto Clemente State Park Roberto Clemente State Park is a state park in Morris Heights, Bronx, New York City. The park is adjacent to the Harlem River, the Major Deegan Expressway ( Interstate 87), and the Morris Heights station on Metro-North's Hudson Line. History ...

and Bridge Park in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. The

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolo ...

initiated a partnership with NYRP in 1995 to assist with cleaning and maintaining Fort Tryon Park. In May 1999, the city planned to auction 114

community gardens A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plo ...

for commercial development. Midler and NYRP founding president, Joseph Pupello, led a coalition of greening organizations to save them. NYRP worked closely with the City of New York and took ownership of fifty-two of the most under-resourced gardens in New York City's most economically challenged communities. In 2007, NYRP became the private partner of

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a c ...

's MillionTreesNYC campaign to plant one million new trees in New York City by 2015. In 2013, Midler won the Jane Jacobs Medal for her work through NYRP. The

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropy, philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, aft ...

Jane Jacobs Medal recognizes New Yorkers who intervene in and use the urban environment to build a more equitable city. Rockefeller Foundation President, Judith Rodin said: "It is completely appropriate for us to honor Ms. Midler's work in light of her work to bring verdant recreational space to so many New Yorkers in so many different communities."

References

External links

* Community gardening in New York City Environmental justice in New York City Environmental organizations based in New York City Nature reserves in New York (state) Non-profit organizations based in New York City Rodale, Inc. {{philanthropy-org-stub