2020 ParkScore List

sopas ej · #1 Posted **May 27, 2020, 8:40 PM**

The Trust for Public Land has released its annual ParkScore list.

The criteria:

-Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park
-Percentage of city land dedicated to parks and recreation
-Park amenities
-City investment in its parks

Among the top 10 are Chicago at #10 and San Francisco at #8. Minneapolis scored the best.

New York City is #11.

The biggest city down the street from me, Los Angeles, is at #49. Why? Well...

In the City of LA, only 62% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park, and only 13% of city land is dedicated to parks and recreation.

See the list here: https://www.tpl.org/parkscore

Boisebro · #2 Posted **May 27, 2020, 8:52 PM**

Boise's #21!!!

TAKE THAT, DENVER!!!!

j/k

Buckeye Native 001 · #3 Posted **May 27, 2020, 9:21 PM**

Only 56% of Flagstaff lives within a 10-minute walk of a park, which is a little surprising considering how hard this town markets itself as outdoors-friendly. Does the grading criteria include walking and hiking trails?

pdxtex · #4 Posted **May 27, 2020, 9:43 PM**

Flag is one giant park! Clearly some western cities get a pass. Good job twin cities tho. Their cycling network is legit. Best in America for sure.

jtown,man · #5 Posted **May 27, 2020, 9:59 PM**

I dislike 90% of parks, so this list means nothing to me lol

The North One · #6 Posted **May 27, 2020, 10:22 PM**

ahh another worthless list.

JManc · #7 Posted **May 27, 2020, 10:40 PM**

What they constitute as 'parks' seems flawed. I am within walking distance from several large nature/ park areas but they aren't highlighted or mentioned on their map but a nearby skate park and community center (with no green space) are. Plus, there's a junior high behind my house that has a huge open field and green space that acts as surrogate park during nights and weekends.

sopas ej · #8 Posted **May 27, 2020, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JManc

What they constitute as 'parks' seems flawed. I am within walking distance from several large nature/ park areas but they aren't highlighted or mentioned on their map but a nearby skate park and community center (with no green space) are. Plus, there's a junior high behind my house that has a huge open field and green space that acts as surrogate park during nights and weekends.

Park amenities seem to play a major role in scoring. Looking at Houston's, compared with say, Irvine, CA's, basketball hoops are only in the 33rd percentile vs. Irvine's 100th percentile; playgrounds and bathrooms scored low for Houston vs. Irvine...

I thought it was kind of interesting. I typed in my town, South Pasadena, CA, which is just 3.42 square miles in area, and 71% of South Pasadena's residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, but parks and recreation only comprise 2% of South Pasadena's city land.

dc_denizen · #9 Posted **May 27, 2020, 11:19 PM**

LA's lack of parks is the city's #1 worst drawback.

meanwhile, golf course galore

LosAngelesSportsFan · #10 Posted **May 27, 2020, 11:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

LA's lack of parks is the city's #1 worst drawback.

meanwhile, golf course galore

Well, not gonna disagree, but we also have millions of acres of forest and beach too

TexasPlaya · #11 Posted **May 28, 2020, 12:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JManc

What they constitute as 'parks' seems flawed. I am within walking distance from several large nature/ park areas but they aren't highlighted or mentioned on their map but a nearby skate park and community center (with no green space) are. Plus, there's a junior high behind my house that has a huge open field and green space that acts as surrogate park during nights and weekends.

This is their criteria

Quote:

Property eligibility criteria:

Publicly-owned local, state, and national parks, trails, and open space
School parks with a joint-use agreement with the local government. Considering the scale of the project, only the joint-use agreements collected through ParkScore® were used.
Privately owned parks that are managed for full public use

Examples of property types not included:

Parks in gated communities
Private golf courses
Private cemeteries

I'm not seeing any of the neighborhood parks where I grew in SW Houston, they are all HOA managed and non gated. I don't see the school parks either, but I have no idea if HISD has "joint use agreements".

dc_denizen · #12 Posted **May 28, 2020, 1:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Well, not gonna disagree, but we also have millions of acres of forest and beach too

saybanana · #13 Posted **May 28, 2020, 4:09 AM**

In cities with a lot of single family housing with good size lots within the city, I wonder if parkscore really matters that much?

I lived in Los Angeles and while the score is low, a lot of people live in single family homes with front yards and backyards. They aren't all in the far suburbs. Many have yards to do gardening, have BBQs, a pool perhaps, a playground. Why would one need or want to go to a park? Some parts of the cities have sidewalk parks, a green patch between the sidewalk and the street. Often have large trees.
Even older apartment complexes have green common areas, shared courtyard, pools, so you dont feel like you are living in a pure concrete jungle.
A lot of newer large complexes have all the huge common areas like a pool, BBQ area, pet area, gym or fancy ones with basketball/volleyball court.

pj3000 · #14 Posted **May 28, 2020, 4:47 PM**

I had a feeling that this "methodology" would not utilize actual ground-truthing.

And at least in the case of Pittsburgh (ranked #15), it's clearly true that it did not.

According to the study, Pittsburgh's highlighted areas where parks are supposedly in highest need include:

- 2 college campuses

- 2 VA hospital campuses

- a cemetery (which is highly used as a public park)

- a public housing project (which most of the acreage not occupied by buildings is parkland, ball fields, playground, or forested hillside)

- an elementary school which has its own playground

- a public high school (with athletic field, track, and tennis courts)

- and running along railroad tracks and a rapid transit busway in a steep valley

austin242 · #15 Posted **May 29, 2020, 2:39 AM**

Their map is all wrong. It was almost comedically wrong when it came to Austin. The main parts of the city that were marked as needing a park the most were right next to the BEST PARKS in the whole entire city.