Here’s How Chicago's Park System Ranks In America

CHICAGO, IL — Chicago’s park system ranks eighth in the country, according to a new report from a nonprofit group that aims to create parks and protect land for people. The Trust For Public Land, based in San Francisco, released its 7th annual ParkScore rankings recently and gave Chicago a score of 76.1 out of a possible 100 points.

The ParkScore rankings were based on four factors: park access, acreage, investment and amenities.
Here’s a breakdown of Chicago’s score:

• Acreage score: 14/40
• Investment score: 39/40
• Amenities score: 29/40
• Access score: 40/40
• Raw score: 122/160
• ParkScore: 76.1/100

The acreage score takes into account the median size of parks in the city and what percent of the city is considered park land. The investment score measures park spending per resident and the access score measures what percentage of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, one of the organization’s key goals. Park amenities looks at the availability of six popular features: basketball hoops, recreation and senior centers, off-leash dog parks, “splashpads” and other water play structures, playgrounds and restrooms.

Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of city park development for the nonprofit, says high quality parks make cities healthier in nearly every way.

“Proximity to parks increases physical activity levels among children and adults, reducing risk for obesity, diabetes, and other serious health conditions,” Benepe said in a release. “Parks also help clean the air, mitigate the risk of storm damage, build relationships among neighbors, and contribute to economic growth.”

Among the largest 100 ParkScore cities, public spending on parks reached $7.5 billion in 2018. That's $429 million more than the previous year. That funding boost helped contribute to a slight increase in park access overall, the organization said, with 70 percent of residents in ParkScore cities now living within a short walk of a park, up from 69 percent last year.

Minneapolis has the best park system in the country, the organization said, narrowly edging neighboring Saint Paul to earn top honors for the third consecutive year.

Here are the 10 highest-ranking park systems and their scores:

1. Minneapolis, MN: 84.2
2. Saint Paul, MN: 82.4
3. Washington, D.C.: 81.9
4. Arlington, VA, 81.6
5. San Francisco, CA: 79.6
6. Portland, OR: 78.3
7. Cincinnati, OH: 78.2
8. Chicago, IL: 76.1
9. New York, NY: 74.8
10. Irvine, CA: 73.4

The lowest-ranking park systems are:

90. Baton Rouge, LA: 32.9
91. Memphis, TN: 32.8
92. Winston Salem, NC: 31.9
93. Laredo, TX: 31.5
94. Fresno, CA: 30.9
95. Hialeah, FL: 29.7
96. Mesa, AZ: 28.4
97. Charlotte, NC: 25.0

Fort Wayne and Indianapolis declined to participate and were not ranked. Gilbert, Arizona, was not ranked because the necessary data was not available.

Click here to read the full methodology.

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo via Shutterstock