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DC has been given the highest ParkScore by the Trust for Public Lands for the last three years in a row.
WASHINGTON — The Trust for Public Land recently announced Washington, D.C., was rated the nation's best big-city park system by the 2023 ParkScore index. Arlington, Virginia, placed fifth in the 2023 rankings.
This is the third consecutive year that D.C. took the top spot and Arlington placed in the top five.
Both cities ranked highly on all ParkScore index rating factors. Ninety-nine percent of Washington and Arlington residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, far exceeding the national ParkScore average of 76%. Both cities also outperform on park investment. Washington spends $259 per resident on parks and Arlington invests $346. Both cities more than double the national ParkScore city average of $108.
However, a new report by the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health found fault with how D.C. parks are managed through the National Park Service. The report says that communities beyond the National Mall are left with poorly maintained parks and few resources.
“The National Mall provides a striking impression for tourists, but head into any neighborhood park in the District and you’ll see crumbling infrastructure, trail overgrowth, trash, and no shortage of frustrated neighbors who are pleading for better management of their neighborhood parks,” Rachel Clark, the Redstone Center’s Policy Director and lead author of the report, said.
The annual ParkScore index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and is widely considered the gold standard for park evaluation. ParkScore rankings are based equally on five factors:
- Park access measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.
- Park equity compares per capita park space and 10-minute-walk park access in communities of color vs. white communities and in low-income neighborhoods versus high-income neighborhoods. Park systems score higher if disparities are minimal or non-existent.
- Park acreage is based on a city’s median park size and the percentage of city area dedicated to parks.
- Park investment measures park spending per resident.
- Park amenities assess the availability of six popular park features: basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, splash pads and other water-play structures, recreation and senior centers, and restrooms.
D.C. earned an overall ParkScore of 84.9.
Meanwhile, The Redstone Center’s qualitative research included dozens of interviews with community organizations, elected officials, and federal and local agency representatives who reported several circumstances that have led to the longstanding mismanagement of the park system.
"There are considerable disparities in the quality of parks across the District of Columbia. Parks have the potential to provide tremendous health benefits, but we found that differences in park quality limited neighborhoods from benefiting from their close proximity to federal greenspace. If a park is poorly maintained, inaccessible, and lacking in basic amenities, such as clear trails, the community will simply not use it,” Erin Wentzell, assistant professor of health, human function and rehabilitation sciences at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, said.
The report lays out many policy recommendations for the District of Columbia government, National Park Service, and Congress to improve the management of the D.C. park system. These include actions to increase the District’s parks management capacity, improve coordination and collaboration between the District and the National Park Service, and increase park funding – particularly for parks located in marginalized communities.
The full report can be read here.
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