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See Where New York City Parks Are Being Beautified & Built

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One of the great pleasures of living in New York City is being able to escape New York City without actually leaving. The parks and green spaces throughout the five boroughs make this possible, and new acreage is being added all the time. In the last two years alone, we've seen the opening of the High Line's last leg, the completion of a new section in Prospect Park, the remaking of a huge swath of Governors Island, and the rebirth of the long-closed High Bridge. And while some may argue that the current administration doesn't care enough about parks, there are still dozens of open spaces through the city being revamped. We've mapped 19 parks projects, both big and small, including those well underway and those about to start. The list only includes those that will actually happen (or at least have a timeline), so proposals for things like the Brooklyn Strand or the Haven Project in the Bronx didn't make the cut.
—With research and writing by Wesley Yiin

Know of one we missed? Please do let us know in the comments or on the tipline.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park - Pier 6

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There's tons happening at the Brooklyn Bridge Park right now, but two of the biggest changes are taking place on Pier 6. The more controversial item involves the building of two residential towers on the pier. But way before that—actually, it's opening just next month—there's a meadow coming to the park.

Main Street and John Street Parks

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Another extension of the Brooklyn Bridge Park is happening on the DUMBO side, near the Manhattan Bridge. Main Street Park and John Street Park, which will be adjacent to 1 John Street, an upcoming condo building, represent the re-imagining of an old park as well as the creation of new space on formerly industrial land. There will be new landscaping, tidal marshes, and concrete bridges over the water. See here for a behind-the-scenes look at park construction from last year.

Governors Island

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Governors Island continues to rapidly develop itself into a beautiful retreat from the concrete jungle. Two recent announced developments that will surely contribute to the ambience: four man-made hills offering unparalleled views of Manhattan and the harbor, and a transformation of former military quarters into an "affordable day spa."

St. Vincent's Triangle

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The more prominent project on this block is the massive Greenwich Lane residential complex, which demolished parts of the former St. Vincent's Hospital while renovating others into apartments. But developer Rudin Management is also overseeing the beautification of the adjacent triangular park space, which will open soon. The focal point of the park will be an AIDS memorial that commemorates the hospital's treating the illness in its earlier days.

Cooper Triangle

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The plazas and the streets around Astor Place are undergoing a green-ification with new landscaping, pedestrian plaza, and an expanded Cooper Park. The makeover has first proposed nearly five years ago, so it's nice to see this steadily progressing.

Liberty Plaza

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The 9/11 Memorial plaza is certainly the green jewel of the World Trade Center, but the under-construction Liberty Plaza will add another natural element to the new complex. The elevated park will have 54 trees and seating areas over a one-acre site bounded by Liberty, West, Cedar, and Greenwich streets. Santiago Calatrava's St. Nicholas church will eventually be built adjacent to the park

Forsyth Street Plaza

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Awkward triangles are ripe for parks, it seems. This piece of land in Chinatown, bordered by Forsyth Street, Canal Street, and the Manhattan Bridge, will provide passersby with seating among new landscaping and Weeping Cherry and Honey Locust trees. It's expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Battery Park - SeaGlass Carousel

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This isn't exactly part of the outdoor space, but the SeaGlass Carousel at "The Battery" (the park's new name, as of May) is also slated to open next month. Unfortunately, the nautically themed ride will carry a price: $5 per ride.

Pier 26 — Hudson River Park

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While some parts of Hudson River Park are years away from getting the TLC they need, others will be revamped in the next few years. Last year, funding was secured to build a long-talked about estuarium education center on Pier 26, where a new restaurant and boat house have also been constructed.

Sutton Place Park

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This park site has been the subject of many disagreements. First, the residents of 1 Sutton Place South fought to keep the land private to them, but ultimately, the city's plan to reinvent it as a public esplanade won out. But a few months ago, the park, which was slated to reopen in the fall of this year, was once more delayed when the Parks Department questioned its design. Hopefully construction will begin next year.

Pier 35

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On the other side of Manhattan, things are slowly progressing at Pier 35, where neighbors have been awaiting an "eco park" for years. Preliminary work (like removing an hold storage shed) is underway, and the real construction should begin this fall, with completion set for 2017. The new pier is part of the fourth section of the East River Waterfront Esplanade.

Newtown Barge and Box Street Parks

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Opinion was initially divided on the Newtown Barge Park renovation in Greenpoint, which proposed to double the space in the park. But once community members were able to air out their concerns, Brooklyn Community Board 1

Pier 42

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Pier 42 on the East River is also awaiting its makeover, though a partial park has been opened here for a few years. Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects designed a plan that turns the pier into a verdant waterfront oasis, with grassy knolls, nature trails, pedestrian and bike pathways, and a bridge that juts out over the water. Construction is expected to being next year.

Essex Crossing Park

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When the design for this Lower East Side park, part of the Essex Crossing megaproject, first was revealed, the community took issue with it not being very, well, park-like. After all, the design only allotted 35 percent of the space for greenery. And so, landscape architect Claire Agre of West 8 altered the design so that the green was more of a focal point by moving a piece to the center. But community members still harbor concerns about the space and have asked to have their input be taken into account. According to the current timetable, the park will arrive around the same time as the first buildings in 2017.

This planned floating park on the Hudson may look pretty awesome, but it has already seen a lot of controversy. The last time we checked in on it, a lawsuit was forming concerning its possibly negative environmental impact. And previously, it came under fire for its potential to be too noisy, too ritzy, too shady, and too flashy. If it isn't shut down, the pier is expected to finish construction by late 2018 or early 2019. Billionaire Barry Diller is footing the $130 million bill, and Thomas Heatherwick is designing.

Hudson Yards - Public Square

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One lesser known piece of this Midtown megaproject is the Public Square in the upcoming Hudson Yards development. Billing itself as New York's second elevated park (with the first being the High Line), the square is notable for its high-tech platform, which keeps the plants cool from the fiery pits of Hellworking rail yard below. It should be ready for visitors in 2018.

Pacific Park

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The rebranded Atlantic Yards gets its new name, Pacific Park, from the green space that will connect the new residential buildings. Designd by landscape architect Thomas Balsley, the 8-acre park will have a fountain, bocce court, dog run, basketball court, and water garden. It will be opened in sections, as a piece will open with each new building.

As part of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment, Two Trees will create a public waterfront park that has been described as an "Artifact Walk." James Corner Field Operations will create the green space, which will incorporate salvaged pieces from the original factory, including 80-foot gantry cranes, old rail tracks, structural columns, and dials from the old machinery.

Greenpoint Landing

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All megaprojects need a green space to balance out the increased human density. Greenpoint Landing is no exception, with its planned waterfront park designed by James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind the High Line. The four-acre park, along with the rest of the project, isn't expected to be done for a long time—up to decade.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park - Pier 6

There's tons happening at the Brooklyn Bridge Park right now, but two of the biggest changes are taking place on Pier 6. The more controversial item involves the building of two residential towers on the pier. But way before that—actually, it's opening just next month—there's a meadow coming to the park.

Main Street and John Street Parks

Another extension of the Brooklyn Bridge Park is happening on the DUMBO side, near the Manhattan Bridge. Main Street Park and John Street Park, which will be adjacent to 1 John Street, an upcoming condo building, represent the re-imagining of an old park as well as the creation of new space on formerly industrial land. There will be new landscaping, tidal marshes, and concrete bridges over the water. See here for a behind-the-scenes look at park construction from last year.

Governors Island

Governors Island continues to rapidly develop itself into a beautiful retreat from the concrete jungle. Two recent announced developments that will surely contribute to the ambience: four man-made hills offering unparalleled views of Manhattan and the harbor, and a transformation of former military quarters into an "affordable day spa."

St. Vincent's Triangle

The more prominent project on this block is the massive Greenwich Lane residential complex, which demolished parts of the former St. Vincent's Hospital while renovating others into apartments. But developer Rudin Management is also overseeing the beautification of the adjacent triangular park space, which will open soon. The focal point of the park will be an AIDS memorial that commemorates the hospital's treating the illness in its earlier days.

Cooper Triangle

The plazas and the streets around Astor Place are undergoing a green-ification with new landscaping, pedestrian plaza, and an expanded Cooper Park. The makeover has first proposed nearly five years ago, so it's nice to see this steadily progressing.

Liberty Plaza

The 9/11 Memorial plaza is certainly the green jewel of the World Trade Center, but the under-construction Liberty Plaza will add another natural element to the new complex. The elevated park will have 54 trees and seating areas over a one-acre site bounded by Liberty, West, Cedar, and Greenwich streets. Santiago Calatrava's St. Nicholas church will eventually be built adjacent to the park

Forsyth Street Plaza

Awkward triangles are ripe for parks, it seems. This piece of land in Chinatown, bordered by Forsyth Street, Canal Street, and the Manhattan Bridge, will provide passersby with seating among new landscaping and Weeping Cherry and Honey Locust trees. It's expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Battery Park - SeaGlass Carousel

This isn't exactly part of the outdoor space, but the SeaGlass Carousel at "The Battery" (the park's new name, as of May) is also slated to open next month. Unfortunately, the nautically themed ride will carry a price: $5 per ride.

Pier 26 — Hudson River Park

While some parts of Hudson River Park are years away from getting the TLC they need, others will be revamped in the next few years. Last year, funding was secured to build a long-talked about estuarium education center on Pier 26, where a new restaurant and boat house have also been constructed.

Sutton Place Park

This park site has been the subject of many disagreements. First, the residents of 1 Sutton Place South fought to keep the land private to them, but ultimately, the city's plan to reinvent it as a public esplanade won out. But a few months ago, the park, which was slated to reopen in the fall of this year, was once more delayed when the Parks Department questioned its design. Hopefully construction will begin next year.

Pier 35

On the other side of Manhattan, things are slowly progressing at Pier 35, where neighbors have been awaiting an "eco park" for years. Preliminary work (like removing an hold storage shed) is underway, and the real construction should begin this fall, with completion set for 2017. The new pier is part of the fourth section of the East River Waterfront Esplanade.

Newtown Barge and Box Street Parks

Opinion was initially divided on the Newtown Barge Park renovation in Greenpoint, which proposed to double the space in the park. But once community members were able to air out their concerns, Brooklyn Community Board 1

Pier 42

Pier 42 on the East River is also awaiting its makeover, though a partial park has been opened here for a few years. Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects designed a plan that turns the pier into a verdant waterfront oasis, with grassy knolls, nature trails, pedestrian and bike pathways, and a bridge that juts out over the water. Construction is expected to being next year.

Essex Crossing Park

When the design for this Lower East Side park, part of the Essex Crossing megaproject, first was revealed, the community took issue with it not being very, well, park-like. After all, the design only allotted 35 percent of the space for greenery. And so, landscape architect Claire Agre of West 8 altered the design so that the green was more of a focal point by moving a piece to the center. But community members still harbor concerns about the space and have asked to have their input be taken into account. According to the current timetable, the park will arrive around the same time as the first buildings in 2017.

Pier55

This planned floating park on the Hudson may look pretty awesome, but it has already seen a lot of controversy. The last time we checked in on it, a lawsuit was forming concerning its possibly negative environmental impact. And previously, it came under fire for its potential to be too noisy, too ritzy, too shady, and too flashy. If it isn't shut down, the pier is expected to finish construction by late 2018 or early 2019. Billionaire Barry Diller is footing the $130 million bill, and Thomas Heatherwick is designing.

Hudson Yards - Public Square

One lesser known piece of this Midtown megaproject is the Public Square in the upcoming Hudson Yards development. Billing itself as New York's second elevated park (with the first being the High Line), the square is notable for its high-tech platform, which keeps the plants cool from the fiery pits of Hellworking rail yard below. It should be ready for visitors in 2018.

Pacific Park

The rebranded Atlantic Yards gets its new name, Pacific Park, from the green space that will connect the new residential buildings. Designd by landscape architect Thomas Balsley, the 8-acre park will have a fountain, bocce court, dog run, basketball court, and water garden. It will be opened in sections, as a piece will open with each new building.

Domino

As part of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment, Two Trees will create a public waterfront park that has been described as an "Artifact Walk." James Corner Field Operations will create the green space, which will incorporate salvaged pieces from the original factory, including 80-foot gantry cranes, old rail tracks, structural columns, and dials from the old machinery.

Greenpoint Landing

All megaprojects need a green space to balance out the increased human density. Greenpoint Landing is no exception, with its planned waterfront park designed by James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind the High Line. The four-acre park, along with the rest of the project, isn't expected to be done for a long time—up to decade.