New York Restoration Project

New York Restoration Project (NYRP) believes that access to nature is a fundamental human right. We work to ensure that all New Yorkers have equitable access to green space. For over 25 years, NYRP has invested in and stewarded parks and gardens throughout the city's five boroughs to strengthen communities, promote food sovereignty, and counter environmental and social injustice. Effectively carrying out our mission requires collaboration, synergy, and understanding of the communities we serve on many different levels. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded into our core identity and we deeply value the unique perspectives, knowledge, and resources that each member of our team and extended community brings to NYRP.

At New York Restoration Project, we believe access to nature is a fundamental human right. Our visio

Goal One: Ensuring equitable access to green space by stewarding existing parks and community gardens, and creating new gardens in underserved neighborhoods

Goal Two: Utilizing parks and gardens as civic centers and hubs of social resilience through public programming, outdoor education, and urban agriculture

Goal Three: Building resilient urban ecosystems and protecting underserved communities from the impacts of climate change

NYRP's senior staff is currently participating in a leadership development course focused on innovative management.

Since the start of the pandemic and in the last year especially, NYRP has welcomed record numbers of visitors to our 80+ acres of parks and our 52 community gardens. In some gardens, membership has grown by 150% as New Yorkers pursue an interest in growing food – or simply seek tranquil green spaces to relax, socialize, and recreate safely. We have also received a steady stream of applications for our Gardens for the City program, which builds new gardens for partner organizations across the city including public schools, NYCHA properties, senior centers, houses of worship, and others. Demand for this program has grown significantly, and in the last year we added over 25,000 square feet of new growing space across nearly two dozen gardens. In 2021, in response to food insecurity, we welcomed our first staff members uniquely dedicated to supporting urban agriculture citywide. Throughout the season they assisted our 700+ community gardeners in cultivating over 18,000 sq ft of raised beds across our gardens. They also expanded their reach by advising our current and past Gardens for the City partners, offering work sessions, education workshops, and technical assistance. One of the greatest advancements we made over the past year was returning to safe in-person gatherings. Over the course of the 2021 season (spring to fall), we hosted almost 80 free public programs reaching more than 2,500 community members. These events, many of them planned by gardeners and local residents and facilitated with NYRP’s assistance and resources, included food distributions, poetry readings, movie nights, bookbinding workshops, concerts, and more. In summary, in 2021 NYRP began the process of returning our programs to “normal” in the safest way possible, while expanding those programs that directly meet New Yorkers’ needs for fresh food, green space, and vibrant community programming.