More and more, city parks and public spaces are being designed and constructed by development corporations that are often partnerships between city agencies, state agencies and the private sector. These entities often do not fall within the control of the City.
"New Yorkers both inside and outside the agency have undertaken extensive and ever-larger privatization and promotional efforts. In fact, the New York experience has, in some ways, provided the impetus nationally for much of the emphasis on privatization that is revolutionizing the urban park business today."

The maintenance of existing parks is being handed over to public/private ‘conservancies’, such as the Central Park Conservancy:
“… the conservancy has contracted with the city to gradually take over much of the day-to-day operation of the park; as of February, 1998, the conservancy employed 150 of the 209 full-time non-management employees in the park. Under the contract the DPR Department [sic] pays about $3 million. The rest of the conservancy's budget is raised privately from sources ranging from concessions to foundations to individuals, with the city pledging 50 cents for every private dollar raised above $5 million”.

Other such entities include Prospect Park Alliance, Hudson River Park Trust, Battery Park City Trust and Better Conservancy. These entities are being given control over decisions around design of new facilities as well as purchasing materials for new structures and maintenance of existing structures.

Public benefit corporations have even established their own park-operating groups, such as the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, a division of the Battery Park City Trust.

City land is often leased to private entities and public funds are given to others restoring City landmarks, such as South Street Seaport.

In terms of tropical hardwood use, the most troublesome examples of the above are Hudson River Park (HRP, administered by Hudson River Park Trust, HRPT), Battery Park City, Battery Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park (including Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park) and South Street Seaport.