Originally opened in 1936 and was used mainly for its baseball field, where it was only seen as a place for sports and greenery. Randalls Island has turned into a thriving restoration project and collaborative research hub for keeping the urban environment around them healthy after being renovated. The research conducted at Randall's Island is one of the many things that makes this park important, as it actively works to support the greenery, life, and living organisms in the urban environment they are surrounded by. This vision of restoring the green space around them is one that many parks in New York don’t focus on. While having green spaces and areas with nature are important, the impact can only do so much for the area surrounding those parks. Seeing how Randall's Island is actively seeing what is happening in the nature around them shows how parks could be doing more to make an active impact in the space they already have.

Looking into the details of Randall’s Island Park-as-Lab Research Collaborative, they collect data and release reports about many different parts of New York's environment and strive to “encourage civic engagement, support STEM career paths, and increase our understanding of New York City’s ecosystems, ultimately promoting more resilient communities”(Link). The facility strives to work “for the people by the people,” and has collected and released data about the environment around Randall’s Island. Some of the Park-as-Lab Research Collaborative's Most recent works include yearly water quality tests, and monitoring the populations of crustaceans, fish, native plants, pollinators, and birds. In one of their studies about the diversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate species in the Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh, they found that “it is evident that these species’ presence is imperative to sustaining the recently restored marsh.”(Link) Expressing how this research is important to figuring out the species' challenges or progress in the marsh. Having the team figure out how to better help the diversity in species and water quality is extremely important, and not just for this marsh. Many parks don’t have this type of dedication, as it’s either too costly or too time-consuming, so finding a park that can do research is wonderful. Randall's Island wants to make an impact on the challenges that its surrounding environment is going through and figure out ways to change it.

The Javits Center is a Convention Center in Manhattan known for hosting conventions like the annual New York International Auto Show, Anime NYC, and New York Comic Con. However, it’s recently been known as having one of New York's largest green roofs. The convention center itself was built from 1980-1986 and caused a big stir among New Yorkers, as it was replacing the New York Coliseum on Columbus Circle as one of New York's main convention centers. Even with its initial stir, many of the impacts that the Javits Center has on the area are a wonderful representation of how you can make a massive building, but still be as environmentally friendly as you can. They have a clear goal and a clear impact on New York City, and it’s clear through the time and effort they’ve put into the roof. Convention Centers are especially a big problem for energy intake and water runoff, which tend to be big contributors to the air and water pollution in the city. The Javits Center is trying to counteract those effects and show the city how you can positively affect those circumstances.

It was 2021 when the Javits Center fully finished and opened its 6.75-acre green roof. There are many uses for this green roof, but one of the key points the center points out is how “the green roof can absorb up to seven million gallons of stormwater run-off annually while reducing heat gain throughout the building”(CBS Mornings, 2013). Not only that, the roof includes a 1-acre farm, three honeybee hives, an orchard, a pollinator meadow, and a shade garden. They strive for sustainability with the roof and have made a lot of strides in becoming a more eco-friendly building.

They put a lot of research into their effects and outputs on the environment to demonstrate the impact of the green roof. Especially in addressing storm rain runoff, which is a major issue for NYC in terms of climate change. The Javits Center is in the floodplain and so this makes a difference in the amount of water they are redistributing after a rainstorm and the impact of the green roof. For example “over the course of a year, the green roof retains more than 75% of the rain that hits it, which mitigates nearly 7 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually. In tandem, the green roof reduces heat flux into the building by 46% while reducing urban heat island effect in the area by about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit ''(Link). This clearly shows how they are taking notes on the before and after of their impact, which more buildings should do when looking at their environmental impact. The effects that the Javits Center is putting in place are a great advancement in allowing massive buildings to cut down their energy and help the environment around them. They have even cut their energy cost by 20%, says Alan Steel, the Javits Center's CEO(Link). Along with the green roof, they also use solar, which is another energy-efficient way that helps the costs of running the building. The time and energy that the

The High Line is an elevated park and walkway that has been renovated from an old elevated track system. With a lot of history on how the High Line came to be, the park is an interesting spectacle. Much of the High Line brings an urban feel to that of a normal park, as only small portions of the railroad are covered by greenery. When walking, you’re elevated around the buildings as you walk to the end, which truly makes you wonder if this is even a park or not. It is indeed more of a walkway than a park, but the High Line prides itself on the native New York greenery. This is a major upside, as using native New York greenery allows the plants to thrive and cultivate easier, allowing green life to thrive in the place they are meant to be. They even mention on their website that all of their native New York plants are bought and cultivated locally as well. This aspect of the park is very positive, as bringing back native plants is an easy and effective way to make New York green more authentically. More parks should allow for native New York plants to grow, though it may not be the most extravagant, it’s the easiest way to make an environmentally friendly park. However, the life that grows there doesn't seem to be one of the main focuses of the park, as the initial building and aesthetic of the park were at the forefront of its production. For the design of the new park, they decided to have a contest, with teams competing to submit their design approach for the High Line. The winning team, the James Corner Field Operations, was then chosen out of three other groups as finalists. Once the design was done, the first part of the High Line opened to the public in 2009 where they continued to open many different parts of the road, even leading up to 2023 with the Moynihan Connector.

The repurposed walkway has seen a lot of support, as many are glad to see the railroad turned into something meaningful. Much of what the High Line does tries to incorporate what's already there into the park. One of the landscape designers for the new park, Bryan Hanes, specified that he wanted “a predominantly native palette. Some of the weed trees we saw growing up, we are going to replace them with something more horticulturally appropriate, more ecologically appropriate” (Link). However, there was a conflict around the plants in the High Line when it was initially built, as the plants had to be replaced. In the construction of the park, they had to remodel and reinforce the train tracks that were there to make it safe and accessible for people to walk on as well as being ADA approved. As a result, they had to remove all of the native plants that had already been growing there in the first place to remodel. They later replaced them with similar plants and didn’t include any of the invasive ones. It truly makes you think if using the native plants was a choice of convenience or environmental stability. Whether it was one or the other, having a park that has plants from New York is a positive addition to parks in the city. Having these plants allows for more stable greenery and less work cultivating these plants to live in the city. Even if the reasoning behind the High Line is blurry, it is still a park that does hold positive value.

Despite the fact that a multitude of parks have been created to combat the dissipation of greenery in NY since the city’s early urbanization, accessibility to nature is still a luxury. The areas surrounding parks and green spaces have higher rent, making them affordable for only the wealthy. The same can be said for the botanical gardens. While the gardens have undoubtedly aided Brooklyn for decades, the rising ticket prices raise questions about its accessibility. Can it still be considered a public space if it has become unaffordable for many? As we are presented with an uncertain future in regards to the climate crisis, providing funding and support for public spaces such as the Brooklyn Botanic is crucial. Green spaces should not be a resource reserved for the rich. Since its completion, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens have aided the Brooklyn community in a multitude of ways beyond the aesthetic appreciation of beautiful nature. During World War One and the influenza pandemic, when the country’s economy was failing, the garden’s staff planted and distributed over 311,000 packets of seed, teaching ordinary people how to start their own “war gardens”. Researchers at the gardens also produced castor beans whose oil was used in war planes. On top of this, an education program for children was founded with the goal of providing younger generations with access to fresh vegetables. In the present, the Botanical Garden advocates for a more sustainable future and fights against climate change (Link).They occasionally have special exhibits, including the “You Can Make a Difference on Climate '', that educates visitors about the climate crisis (Link). They also often work with the Brooklyn community, such as when they helped plant new trees on Flatbush Ave in 2022 (Link). Even if the gardens are not the most accessible anymore, they still provide aid for New York communities. If more funding was given to the gardens, perhaps prices would drop and tickets could be free once more. A green future is possible, but only if we give a helping hand.

The indoor gardens at 550 Madison Avenue were completed during a renovation of the AT\&T building that spanned between 2018 and 2022. The area used to construct the atrium was an under-used privately-owned public space that architect group Snohetta sought to transform. They targeted the post- Covid workforce, aiming to offer office workers something they, “can't get in their living rooms'’ (Link). Because the area was privately owned, opening it to the public granted architects the right to build beyond the city zone's floor limit within the tower itself (Link). The garden span spans about 22,000 square feet, composed of rounded rooms full of plants and sitting areas for passer-goers. There is a waterfall, along with a multitude of conifer trees, shrubs, etc. The greenery contrasts against the smooth stone walls that curve around the garden (Link). However, when the renovations began in 2018, there was much controversy surrounding the destruction of an unofficial NY landmark (Link). The Chippendale building, designed originally by architects Johnson and Burgee, is iconic. Since its completion in 1984, the building has changed names from AT\&T, to Sony, to 550 Madison Square. It has always been valued for its post-modern architecture. As the city modernized, this style of architecture vanished almost entirely. Because of this, many people were upset when Snohetta and other architects made plans to replace the tower’s signature stone walls with massive panels of glass (Link). The architects’ belief was that the stone walls made the space seem uninviting, which was one reason why the public areas were being underutilized. However, while the modern architects viewed the building as an eyesore, others sought to protect the tower’s iconic neoclassical arches and pink-granite stone (Link). Through petitions, New York citizens were able to protect the building by declaring it a historical landmark. This prevented the destruction of the building’s front face, but renovations of the gardens still took place (Link).

The Ford Building atrium is one of the oldest/ largest indoor green spaces in NY. The foundation has strong roots in the city, evolving in its own way as the city grows and modernizes. The atrium within the foundation is considered to be, “a slice of Eden in a city that seemed to many residents like it was going to hell” (Link). The building itself was declared a New York City landmark in 1997 because of its distinct architecture and pink granite walls (Link). Upon creation, the building’s architects had a primary goal to “provide an inclusive and equitable experience for all who visit”. This was accomplished after a nearly $205 million dollar renovation completed in 2018, when the building was renamed the Ford Foundation for Social Justice (Link). Some of the new features include wheel-chair accessibility throughout the entire building, as well as aids for the visually impaired (Link). However, one of the most famous aspects of the Ford Foundation is its massive atrium.The atrium itself includes nearly 40 different tree species, as well as a multitude of vines and shrubs. Within the garden there is a fountain and a reverberating pool as well. After the renovation in 2018, a sensory garden was added for the visually impaired, along with braille signage (Link). The indoor garden is meant to create a sense of community between workers based in the foundation’s offices. Instead of bleak white walls with tiny windows, workers are offered wonderful views of a lavish garden while working. It was, and still is, considered a “slice of Eden” (Link). The gardens are accessible to the public as well, with easy access from multiple street entrances. They are open every Monday through Friday from 11am to 6pm. There are also many public events, such as art exhibits, on Saturdays as well. Art is exhibited throughout the entire buildings, providing color to otherwise monotone hallways and offices (Link). While the foundation is well-known for its work with nonprofits and the disadvantaged, the building’s history is in some ways controversial. When renovation began in the 2010s, New Yorkers were afraid the historic building would be stripped of its recognizably mid-modern architecture from the 1960s. People pleaded with the architect’s, and eventually the building was marked as a landmark. However, many drastic changes were still made. One architect critic, Kate Wagner, compared these changes to losing the ballroom of your wedding, basically saying that change is inevitable and trying to salvage the past is impossible (Link). The large price tag of $205 million dollars is startling as well. However, as we combat the current climate crisis, indoor gardens such as the atrium within the Ford Foundation are a step in the right direction. We can learn from the mistakes of its architects and move forward with the knowledge that adding green spaces to New York is still possible. Finding ways to lower the price tag and move out of Manhattan into other boroughs would do so much for the city as well.