Next American City, the magazine that writes about good ideas for better cities, features an extended interview with NYC Parks & Rec Commissioner Adrian Benepe. Here Next American City reporter Julia Ramey Serazio sets the stage:
During his tenure, New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe he has seen both a major financial expansion and contraction, but has managed to launch many new efforts to expand and improve parks, many under the PlaNYC program spearheaded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Benepe was appointed by Bloomberg in 2002 after serving in a number of different roles at Parks & Recreation, including as a Central Park ranger, Director of Natural Resources & Horticulture, Director of Art & Antiquities and Director of the Annual Fund & Major Gifts for the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. His department now oversees the operation of about 29,000 acres and nearly 4,000 properties.
The summer 2010 issue of Next American City featured an article by Patrick Arden called “The High Cost of Free Parks,” which posed the question of whether public-private partnerships exploit parks, and whether the Department is overdependent on volunteers, creating a two-tiered parks system. Here, Commissioner Benepe addresses these concerns, and talks about the ongoing efforts of the Department to green streets, engage citizens in exercise and activity and create high-quality parks for all people.