Central Park was established in 1860 when NYC was 1 million people. Other cities could have seen this good idea and set aside land when they were even smaller.
Iirc no ship could leave the Island until they verified Napoleon was on the land (not hiding on the ship). So he would hide on the Island so the ship couldn’t leave.
People are giving examples of parks that are way off in the boonies. I’m trying to say located centrally, heart of the city, you know where the high rises are.
I think having both large and small (and tree lined streets) are good ideas. But there’s something appealing about a large park that you can really immerse yourself in.