Embracing the Outdoors
Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle WA
Analyzing Park Scores for Urban Wellness
Hello to all readers...it has been a while and I apologize for my writing absence! It has been a really crazy last couple of months, but I am trying to be intentional about my time with the things that I enjoy doing most - writing included. I hope you can all continue to be a part of this fun journey. I am very excited to share my first official (non-introductory) post with you all.
In my deep search for datasets that were viable and relevant enough to use for a prompt I was curious to explore, I stumbled upon a new source which is the generous provider of this post's data. If you are a tree hugger, you just have to visit the site and explore their work for yourself. Trust for Public Land not only creates and protects parks, but also has publicly shared their very insightful data on those parks, nature projects, and environmental initiatives that serve to connect us with the great outdoors.
As someone who loves being outside and staying active, being in a city like Seattle and still having amazing proximity to beautiful nature areas is truly a gift. Naturally, I wanted to explore how other cities in the U.S. compared.
It is incredibly rejuvenating to simply take a park stroll next to the shimmering water, run through tree-lined paths, or even sit on a bench soaking in the tranquility of green spaces (or if you are lucky in the fall, the warm color palettes). But not all cities are the same when it comes to providing residents with easy access to nature. This is where Trust for Public Land's park scores come in.
Let's take a data-driven approach to evaluating how cities measure up in terms of their proximity to green spaces. For data enthusiasts and outdoor lovers like me, understanding these rankings can also be a fantastic way to decide whether a city has the kind of environmental setup you’re looking for.
Mother Nature's Benefits
The benefits of spending time immersed in nature are undeniable - physical, emotional, mental, social, etc. Something I appreciate about proximity to nature is how I can take as short as a 10 minute walk after work to the bay that is right next to me and feel so much better. I can also drive just short of 35 minutes east and reach a hub of trails and hikes that you wouldn't suspect are so close to the city. The grounding and calming sense I come back to when I am outside, away from the screens, simply observing (maybe listening so some music), is incredibly refreshing.
Understanding Park Scores
Before we briefly explore this basic analysis, I want to explain what you will be looking at and the implications of the scoring criteria. We'll be looking at the data for U.S. city parks from 2023. The actual ParkScore rating for a city is determined by assigning points across five categories:
Acreage
Investment
Amenities
Access
Equity
The data accounts for the 100 largest U.S. cities, where points are awarded for each category and normalized to fit on a rating scale out of 100. If you skipped over all this number jargon, just know you will have a pretty high-level understanding after this mini analysis I've compiled!
Top acreage stats
Having lived in Arizona for most of my life, I was initially surprised by this view. Mostly because I would have to walk a little over three miles to get to my nearest park (that is NOT inside my neighborhood).
When we consider the median, we can assume that the these top 10 cities have some pretty good green spaces. Since the median is just exactly in the middle of all the relevant data points, we know that the upper half and lower half of the rest parks have relatively high acreage (medians are also insensitive to outliers).
With this, I can safely assume that If i move to Plano, I will have plenty of park space right outside my door, right? Not quite. I would definitely have to search for a strategically placed home nearby a main park.
Walkability to Green Spaces
Walkability is key for me. Sure, Scottsdale and Phoenix may have some pretty good acreage stats, but that does not mean they are directly near your actual living space. Take a look at the cities with the highest proportion of their land being composed of parkland, contrasted with the percentage of city residents that can actually walk to said parks.
You'll notice the highlighted cities have a lower percentage of residents within walking distance to their respective city parks. Although they may not seem that low, the range for resident walkability is 65%, with the lowest proportion reported at 35%. This places Chesapeake and Scottsdale at the bottom quartile of residents who can walk to their city parklands.
Here you'll see some of the top cities based on the percentage of their residents who can walk to their parklands:
We are seeing some pretty high percentages here, and that's great for all of us who love to be right by our parks. But it is important to note that some cities like San Francisco and Boston which have reported that 100% of residents live within walking distance to a park are much more condensed cities than a city like North Las Vegas. If you've ever visited, it is pretty evident how much more walkable the urban areas are in general. Ultimately, these high percentages of walkability do grant these cities some pretty good brownie points in their overall rank (stay with me to see the final rankings).
Weighing in equity
One thing I was pleased to see were the high equity scores for those cities that were also gaining points in other areas of scoring. The numbers you are seeing below encompass the accessibility and space for low-income and POC (people of color) neighborhoods.
Although Seattle has had its fair share of gentrification, I think our parklands are situated in a way that all surrounding neighborhoods can enjoy. Many other cities have experienced the same, but we can acknowledge that these high scoring cities are making an effort to equally distribute the benefits of parkland accessibility to all.
The final ranking verdict
If you've made it this far, hopefully you are excited to see the top 10 U.S. cities based on their ParkScore.
Trust For Public Land's Top 10 Cities in 2023
Looks like we have a tie for #10! It is definitely a luxury to have green spaces in urban settings such as these. If you have ever been to NYC, life is definitely pretty fast paced there, and most residents could likely use a little outdoor break here and there.
If you are someone who lives in any of these cities, or perhaps you have any thoughts, comments, or feedback on this mini analysis, I would love to hear from you.
Otherwise, I hope that this analysis helps you appreciate the green spaces around you, or maybe even inspire you to make time to explore new ones. For me, the best cities are inclusive of the accessibility to the great outdoors. If you are someone who prefers driving over walking, now you know there are plenty of cities full of parkland acreage!
Let's embrace, enjoy, and protect the gifts from our great Planet Earth.
Access Data Here: 2023 Trust for Public Land ParkScore Ranks