Paulson’s $100 Million Park Gift Raises Fairness Question

Billionaire John Paulson’s $100 million donation to New York’s Central Park Conservancy threw into relief inequities between parks frequented by the wealthy and those in less affluent neighborhoods.

Paulson said the gift, announced Oct. 23, would enhance the city’s most democratic institution, enjoyed by 40 million visitors a year. The founder of Paulson & Co., a New York-based hedge fund, said he played in the park as a child. Now, at 56, he enjoys a treetop view of its expanse from his residence on Fifth Avenue.