Tight budgets have been a fact of life for New York City's parks since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. From the formation of the Central Park Conservancy in 1980 to the recent battles to save community gardens, New Yorkers of all backgrounds have met this challenge with dedication and ingenuity. Today, New York is a laboratory of innovation, as new gardens, greenways and waterfront parks take shape while existing parks develop new models of management.

The gardens they created have transformed this famously-challenged neighborhood into a network of thriving community places.

Residents of the South Bronx have been at the forefront of the community garden movement for 30 years, turning hundreds of vacant lots into green oases. In the 1970s, the area became nationally known for its crime and poverty. City services were at their lowest ebb, and a series of fires burned down the equivalent of entire city blocks.

The fires left behind abandoned lots - health hazards overrun by waste, crime and drugs - but residents soon seized the opportunity before them. They cleared away the rubble and planted seeds. The gardens they created have transformed this famously-challenged neighborhood into a network of thriving community places. On the same lots that used to harbor drug dealers, children now learn how to raise fresh vegetables. The gardens have proven very effective in fighting hunger and asthma, and their power to bring people together is unparalleled.

After all their hard work to make the South Bronx greener and more vibrant, community gardeners faced their fiercest battles during the Giuliani Administration. Many gardens were bulldozed to make way for market-rate or moderate-income housing. Now, after years of fighting antagonism from city hall, community gardeners can breathe easier following an agreement reached with Mayor Bloomberg and the State of New York that protects hundreds - but not all - of these vital meeting places and cultural centers.

The communities the river serves are now rallying around it through clean-ups and special events.

Just a short walk from the South Bronx you'll find a very different kind of reclamation going on at the Bronx River. Flowing between industrial sites and beneath Robert Moses-era highways, the river was in desperate need of a caretaker when local residents founded the Bronx River Restoration Project in 1974. The 29-year effort to restore the river and the parks and communities along its banks has made enormous strides, from habitat restoration to the construction of a park-studded greenway that will eventually stretch the full length of the 23-mile river.

The restoration is now in the hands of over 60 community groups, government agencies, schools and businesses. Under the umbrella of the Bronx River Working Group, this alliance has increased public participation and awareness of the restoration through outreach efforts such as the Adopt-A-River Program, which provides technical and financial assistance to community-based projects. Not only is the river cleaner and more beautiful than before, but the communities it serves are now rallying around it through clean-ups and special events like the Amazing Bronx River Boat Flotilla.

New York's most famous river, the Hudson, has also undergone a revival since its days as an oil-slicked eyesore. Now the greenspace is catching up with the blue, as a new 4.5-mile waterfront park quickly takes shape along Manhattan's West Side. After a lengthy public planning process, Hudson River Park is finally becoming a reality, and the progress in the last year has been breathtaking. The park is already promising to be one of New York's great public spaces.

The park already draws almost a million visitors per year, even though it is still under construction.

In the works since 1992, when the State and City of New York each agreed to contribute $100 million to its construction, Hudson River Park has been a long time coming. In fact, the idea goes back 30 years--to when the old West Side Highway collapsed, leading to a proposal called Westway. Westway would have created 200 acres of infill development on Manhattan's west side and submerged an interstate highway beneath it. Vehemently opposed by local residents, it was finally abandoned in 1985.

In spite of the 1992 agreement, support for the park didn't truly materialize until the Hudson River Park Alliance, formed in 1996 by environmental and civic leaders, urged Governor Pataki and Mayor Giuliani to renew their efforts. Thanks in large part to the Alliance, the state legislature passed the Hudson River Park Act in 1998, giving the process the final push it needed.

The park already draws almost a million visitors per year, even though it is still under construction. A testament to the power of public will, upon completion it will be the largest open space development in Manhattan since Central Park.

Which brings us to New York's best-known restoration project and the public/private partnership that made it possible. By 1975, a lack of care and maintenance had taken a toll on Central Park, and a number of advocacy groups joined together to pool resources and influence. Needing an entree into the direct care of the park, they approached Mayor Edward Koch and Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis who, in turn, created the post of Central Park Administrator in 1979 and appointed Elizabeth Barlow to the position.

The innovative public/private partnership with the City charted a new course for urban park management nationwide.

In order to raise funds for the restoration and management of the park, she founded the Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization managed by a board of citizen leaders and ex officio members. Since its founding, the Conservancy has spent nearly $70 million to restore Central Park's landscapes, more than three-quarters of the park to date. In 1998, the Conservancy's operational role was formalized through a management contract with the City of New York/Department of Parks and Recreation.

The entire park has been touched by its efforts, which are visible to anyone who strolls through the beautifully restored landscapes, explores the nature trails, visits the splendid gardens, or participates in family and community programs, sports, or cultural events in the park. This innovative public/private partnership with the City charted a new course for urban park management nationwide.

These green spaces have traveled very different paths, but they thrive today thanks to a common link: the passionate involvement of people committed to improving their neighborhoods. The innovative ways New Yorkers have met challenges to their parks offer hope not only for New York, but for cities across the US that also confront shrinking funds for their green infrastructure. In the face of such threats, people continue to value their public spaces and break new ground.