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.
On Wednesday, many District residents and officials lauded the trust’s findings, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“D.C. has a little something for everyone, including a recreation center within a mile of every household,” she said. “Our #1 ranked park system is just another reason why we’re grateful to call D.C. home, and we encourage all Americans to visit and experience our parks too.”
D.C. At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie also spoke in favor of the District’s downtown parks, Wednesday, as well.
“We’ve got a number of parklets and other wonderful places for you all to be outdoors,” he 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.
However, some D.C. residents, like Ft. Lincoln Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Anthony Dale, say they’re worried the parks in their own backyards aren’t getting the treatment they deserve.
“It’s not just about having the space,” Dale said. “It’s about having quality space.”
He tweeted a video of his park’s condition, in Fort Lincoln, to the DC Department of Parks [DPR] and Recreation and the DC Department of General Services on Wednesday.
It has cracked pavement, broken lampposts, and sometimes attracts criminal activity, according to Dale.
“If you go inside the park, you’ll see things are just falling apart,” he said. “There’s rocks and holes, and all types of problems inside the park.”
Dale added many families, like his, can’t use the amenities in the park due to safety concerns.
“We want to use the park, but the problem is no one is taking care of the park and that’s a challenge,” he said.
DPR told WUSA9 it’s working with the community to address problems in Fort Lincoln’s park space.
However, some people feel parks managed by the National Park Service need more love too.
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.
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.
WUSA9 reached out to the National Park Service for comment in response to the GW study’s claims. It provided the following statement on both the Trust for Public Land and Sumner studies:
"The National Park Service is proud to preserve and provide access to outdoor space for residents and visitors in our nation's capital—and it's great to see these efforts recognized by the Trust for Public Land.
In regards to the George Washington University Redstone Global Center, the National Park Service (NPS) has received the report from the and is reviewing it. At first glance the report offers sound ideas to consider, and an interesting, but incomplete, perspective on park management in the District of Columbia.
The National Park Service mission is to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of current and future generations. While the NPS is famous for wide-open Western landscapes, which the report emphasizes, about two-thirds of national parks are places of historical or cultural importance or recreation-focused parks, many of them in or near cities.
We are proud to care for DC’s neighborhood national parks and know that DC residents visit and enjoy their parks every day for fun, better health and overall wellness. Our regular collaboration with the District of Columbia government, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), partners and community stakeholders is essential to this work.
We encourage residents who have questions, concerns or ideas regarding local national parks to contact to us through the interactive map on www.nps.gov/dcparks/."