
Should such a headline as the one above reflect some radical New York City makeover policy, the outcry would be truly global, given the mythical status in world imagination of both the city itself, as well as Central Park.
No such outcry will greet the demise of New York’s Elizabeth Street Gardens. It’s quite recent arrival in New York on an abandoned city lot is an entertaining and quirky story. But it may well be that its time is up. Substitute Elizabeth Street Gardens for Central Park in the headline above. There will be local tears, surely, but no global response.
And yet, the preservation of of Elizabeth Street Gardens is a worthy goal. Over its lifetime, the importance of green space has begun to dominate the news. Not only does it contribute a humble dollop of assistance to the climate crisis, but parkland and open spaces are being recognized as invaluable for human health and welfare, both physical health and mental health.
Unfortunately, friends of Elizabeth Street Gardens do battle with developers AND activists agitating for an equally worthy outcome: more housing to add to the city’s woefully inadequate supply of housing for seniors.
There is undoubtedly some form of compromise that allows Elizabeth gardens to survive somehow, somewhere, while more seniors housing is built. Right now, however, it is being cast as an “either-or” situation. These kinds of situations will occur with increasing frequency in crowded urban spaces the world over: the competing interests will need to join together and find imaginative solutions that serve both interests.
Read more about Elizabeth Street Gardens quirky birth, and the housing imperative that challenges its existence in CURBED: It’s Time to Let the Elizabeth Street Garden Go