In more cities than ever, private wealth is filling in for a "hollowed-out public sector"; some worry net result is fewer amenities and opportunities for all citizens.

"While it’s hard to argue with more parks, or the generosity of donors like [Barry] Diller, this isn’t just about new patches of green. It’s more evidence of how a hollowed-out public sector is losing its critical role, and how private wealth is taking the wheel and having a growing say over basic parts of American life.... One result of this influx of funds into putatively public parks is that the city’s more affluent sections have nicer open spaces and playgrounds." -- David Callahan, the New York Times