The problem is not that they lack for philanthropy but that city government has itself disinvested in such bread-and-butter matters as park maintenance.

FORBES: John Paulson's Smart (New) Bet

Indeed, prior to Central Park Conservancy assuming responsibility for its maintenance, Central Park was itself barren and notoriously crime-ridden.

FORBES: John Paulson's Smart (New) Bet

The Legacy Corporation is in charge of the long-term development, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park and its facilities now that the Games have finished.

BBC: The Olympic Park

Like many state park sites, it suffers from deferred maintenance because of decadeslong funding cuts, the report said.

WSJ: A Call to Outsource California State Parks

Maintenance workers at Haggerston Castle Holiday Park near Berwick, discovered the shell, thought to be a German "Big Bertha" Howitzer.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Tyne | War artefact uncovered by workers

But the program also fuels a less universally welcome attitude about outdoor space that favors tricked-out park amenities over straightforward ones, and flashy attractions over continuing attention to maintenance.

WSJ: Turning Up the Volume in Public | By Julie V. Iovine

Her father, Phelim, 38, is a manager at Wembley Park station, her 17-year-old brother Phelim is a trainee at the maintenance firm Tube Lines and her godfather is a driver on the Jubilee Line.

BBC: London