Midtown Manhattan contains many vibrant parks, including Bryant Park, Union Square Park and Madison Square Park. These parks attract thousands of people every day and offer a respite from the bustle of the city. Central Park, one of New York’s biggest and most recognizable, borders our district. Visitors to the district’s parks can enjoy activities and programming year round. The Bryant Park Corporation, for example, offers birdwatching classes and ping pong tournaments. Members of the public can apply for permits to hold events in the city’s parks and CB5 plays a role in determining whether they are an appropriate use of city space.
Public space is an important counterbalance to New York’s density. Pedestrian plazas, such as those in Times Square, Herald Square and the Flatiron Plaza, provide the opportunity for people to sit, mingle and play. One recent addition to the district’s public space offerings is Plaza33, located on 33rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. CB5 reviews applications for the use of pedestrian plazas, parks and other public spaces.
Meetings are generally the last Monday of the month at 6pm. Meeting time and location subject to change. Please refer to our calendar.
You can find a record of CB5’s virtual Parks & Public Spaces Committee meetings on Youtube.
You can find CB5’s Policy on Public Notification here.
Useful Links and Resources
Madison Square Park Events Task Force Report
Parks Event Application Evaluation Matrix
Parks & Public Spaces Committee Members
Kim McCall (Chair)
Elisabeth Hutton (Interim Chair)
Michael Southworth (Interim Vice-Chair)
Katherine Ellington
Zarar Haider
John B. Harris, Jr.
Michael Kaback
Isabel Marks
Charles Ny
Thomas A. Ricardo
Annie Rowland
Tod Shapiro
Sarah BJ Sung
Mrinal Vikram
Parks & Public Spaces Public Members
Miriam Berman
Recent Parks & Public Spaces Resolutions
