Report: Richmond's public parks are some of the best in the country
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Richmond's public park system is the 22nd best in the country out of the 100 most populous cities, according to a new report by the pro-park nonprofit Trust for Public Land.
Why it matters: Residents in high-scoring cities are more socially connected with their neighbors, per the report, including those from other socioeconomic groups, with whom they might not otherwise commingle.
- Plus, Richmond's ranking is way up from its No. 39 place last year.
How it works: The Trust for Public Land (TPL) annually scores major cities' park systems based on access, acreage, amenities, equity and investment.
- Each city is awarded a certain number of points based on those factors, and is then given an overall "ParkScore" of up to 100.
- See more about the methodology here.
What they found: Richmond scored best for equity with 87 out of 100 points
- Low-income residents in Richmond are more likely (83%) to be 10 minutes from a park than high-income ones (82%).
- Residents in city neighborhoods with the highest concentration of people of color have access to 223% more total park space than those in areas with the highest concentration of white residents.
Zoom in: Richmond scored 74 out of 100 for access, 35 for acreage, 47 for investment, 69 for amenities.
- Richmond's saw the biggest improvement over its 2023 score in amenities and investment.
- In amenities, Richmond parks got perfect scores for its number of bathrooms and rec centers and nearly perfect (95 out of 100) for the number of basketball hoops.
- On investments, Richmond spends $135 per capita on parks, more than the $124 average among the 100 most populous U.S. cities and way up for the $99 per capita it spent last year.
Zoom out: Washington, D.C. — where 99% of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park — was given only 55 points out of 100 for acreage, but scored well enough in the other categories to take top honors.
- Coming in last place was Port St. Lucie, Florida, which suffers from relatively poor park access, amenities and investment.
- "What we're seeing this year is that the budgeting is moving in a positive direction nationally in almost every city," TPL senior vice president Howard Frumkin tells Axios.
The bottom line: Support for public parks is that rare issue that cuts across ideological lines as we barrel toward a "polarized election," Frumkin says.