San Antonio's park score improves, but still needs work
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
San Antonio's park score is on the rise, but there's still much work to be done to reach the top, according to the latest report by nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL).
Why it matters: Green spaces are good for body and mind and hold "tremendous potential for repairing our frayed social fabric," TPL wrote in its 2024 report.
Driving the news: In TPL's annual parks rating, San Antonio was ranked No. 53 among the 100 most populous cities in the country, up from No. 57 last year.
- Plano (16) is the top-ranked Texas city. Next were Dallas (38) and Austin (44).
How it works: 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.
The big picture: San Antonio performs well when it comes to the size of our 437 parks.
- With 32,858 total acres of parkland, San Antonio outperforms most cities when it comes park to size.
- The city meets or exceeds the national average for acreage, amenities, equity and investment.
Yes, but: We have room for improvement when it comes to access, defined as the portion of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park.
- Areas designated as a priority for new parks are concentrated on the outskirts of the city.
Flashback: In 2022, voters approved $272 million to be spent on improving and creating parks as part of the 2022–2027 bond program.
State of play: Three new parks — Civic Park at Hemisfair, Hendrick Arnold Nature Park and Trueheart Ranch Park — opened in the fall.
- Civic Park ushered in nearly 7 acres of green space to downtown in October.
- Hendrick Arnold Nature Park and Trueheart Ranch Park, on the far West and Southwestern parts of Bexar County, respectively, cover a combined 425 acres with amenities like nature trails, bird-watching spots, pecan orchards, and campgrounds.
What we're watching: How the upcoming Berkley V. and Vincent M. Dawson Park on the East Side and renovations at Cassiano Park on the West Side will affect San Antonio's 2025 park score.
- Master planning has started on the 188-acre arboretum on the South East Side, though an opening date has not been announced.