The Department of Parks and Recreation, continued by Local Law No. 7 of 1976, is the successor agency to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration (1968) and the city-wide Department of Parks (1934). Prior to the tenure of Commissioner Robert Moses (1934-60), the city's parks were under the jurisdiction of five borough park commissioners.

The agency's principal mission is to assure that the parks, beaches, playgrounds, stadia, marinas, recreation facilities, gardens, malls, squares and public spaces of the City of New York are clean, safe and attractive for the health and enjoyment of the people. As of August 31, 2020, there were approximately 30,000 acres of City parkland.

Parks is responsible for street trees, park flora and fauna, community gardens, historic houses, statues and monuments, open space, conservation and nature study. It develops management and restoration policy to protect and enhance the City's wetlands, woodlands and meadows. It conducts activities in athletics, physical fitness, environmental education, visual and performing arts and crafts. Special programs are provided for senior citizens, teenagers, pre-schoolers, the disabled and the homeless (Charter, sec. 533).

The Commissioner of Parks & Recreation is a member, in most cases ex-officio, of the Boards of Directors, Trustees or Managers of the following agencies or institutions: State: New York State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission for the City of New York, Hudson River Valley Greenway; State-Municipal: Hudson River Park Trust; Municipal: City Parks Foundation, Historic House Trust of New York City, NYC Soil and Water Conservation District; Bronx; NYZS/Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo), New York Botanical Garden, Wave Hill, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park; Brooklyn: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park Alliance; Manhattan: American Museum of Natural History, Big Apple Circus, Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, Central Park Conservancy, Gracie Mansion Conservancy, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of the City of New York, Riverside Park Fund; Queens: Alley Pond Environmental Center, New York Hall of Science, Queens Botanical Garden, Queens County Farm Museum, Queens Museum of Art, Southern Queens Park Association; Staten Island: Alice Austen House, Greenbelt Conservancy, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, S.I. Botanical Garden, S.I. Children's Museum, S. I. Historical Society, S.I. Zoological Society.