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Gotham Gazette: Good Parks Are Good for the EconomyPage 3of 3 1970s and '80s, dirty, worn and dangerous parks became a potent symbol of the city's decline. The parks system, compared to other city services, takes a relatively small amount of money to maintain. Although the parks department operating budget has increased since the lows of the early 1990s, the number of park properties has increased by 20 percent, and the department still runs on a budget that park advocates say is not adequate to keep the entire system in good repair. Especially at risk are parks in the outer boroughs and in lower-income neighborhoods, which have not benefitted as much from the private funding that burnishes the city's flagship parks. Users of some parks and sports fields still contend with trash, locked bathrooms and lack of maintenance. Daily News columnist Denis Hamill described these types of conditions recently inrecounting his experiences as a baseball dad in Queens. Many of the neighborhoods surrounding these parks have been affected disproportionately by the mortgage crisis and declining real estate prices. Given the economic benefits of well-used and maintained parks -- and the increased need for free recreation and relaxation during a time of financial stress for many residents -- can the city afford to pare down the parks budget further? Anne Schwartz, in charge of the parks topic page since its inception in 1999, is a journalist who specializes in environmental issues. Gotham Gazette is brought to you by Citizens Union Foundation. It is made possible by a grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Altman Foundation, the Fund for the City of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, New York Times Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and readers like you. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution. Gotham Gazette - http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20090624/14/2949 http://www.gothamgazette.com/print/29497/31/2009