Parkland Comparisons Of Major Us Cities.

[Guest danax]

We sometimes feel proud to be #4 in the country in terms of population but is that really anything to brag about? It's a body count, nothing more, and sometimes bigger is not better. More people means more traffic, possibly more crime and grime, depending on who these people are. I submit that parklands are more important than population when deciding which cities are "better". I say these statistics indicate we need to concern ourselves a bit more with creating more quality parkland.

Apologies for the tables below, they lost their alignments when I cut and pasted. Source: The Trust for Public Land

Parkland as a Percent of City Area, 2002

-- 50 Largest Cities --

City Land Area (Acres) Total City, County, Metro, State and Federal Parks and Preserves within City (Acres) Park and Preserve Land as Percent of City Land Area

High Density Cities

Washington, D.C. 39,297 7,576 19.3%

New York 194,115 36,646 18.9%

Boston 30,992 5,457 17.6%

San Francisco 29,884 5,143 17.2%

Minneapolis 35,130 5,359 15.3%

Philadelphia 86,456 10,621 12.3%

Baltimore 51,714 5,748 11.1%

Oakland 35,875 3,822 10.7%

Los Angeles 300,201 30,136 10.0%

Long Beach 32,281 2,741 8.5%

Chicago 145,362 11,729 8.1%

Miami 22,830 1,285 5.6%

Intermediate-High Density Cities

San Diego 207,575 37,968 18.3%

Portland, Ore. 85,964 13,357 15.5%

Cincinnati 49,898 7,000 14.0%

Seattle 53,677 6,029 11.2%

Dallas 219,223 21,670 9.9%

St. Louis 39,630 3,385 8.5%

Pittsburgh 35,573 2,735 7.7%

Las Vegas 72,514 5,416 7.5%

Sacramento 62,180 4,397 7.1%

Detroit 88,810 5,890 6.6%

Denver 98,142 6,447 6.6%

Arlington, Tex. 61,322 3,281 5.4%

Cleveland 49,650 2,553 5.1%

Toledo 51,597 2,206 4.3%

San Jose 111,910 3,623 3.2%

Fresno 66,791 1,323 2.0%

Intermediate-Low Density Cities

El Paso 159,405 26,372 16.5%

Albuquerque 115,608 17,746 15.4%

Austin 160,969 23,784 14.8%

Phoenix 303,907 36,944 12.2%

Milwaukee/Milwaukee County* 154,880 15,115 9.8%

Colorado Springs 118,874 11,460 9.6%

Wichita 86,879 7,891 9.1%

San Antonio 260,832 20,992 8.0%

Tampa 71,720 5,271 7.3%

Columbus 134,568 9,719 7.2%

Tulsa 116,891 7,000 6.0%

Memphis 178,761 10,490 5.9%

Louisville* 246,400 14,209 5.8%

Houston 370,818 21,252 5.7%

Fort Worth 187,222 10,554 5.6%

New Orleans 93,084 5,228 5.6%

Indianapolis 231,342 12,582 5.4%

Atlanta 84,316 3,147 3.7%

Mesa 79,990 2,548 3.2%

Tucson 124,588 3,175 2.5%

Low Density Cities

Jacksonville 537,000 82,349 15.3%

Virginia Beach 158,903 13,107 8.2%

Kansas City, Mo. 200,664 13,915 6.9%

Charlotte/Mecklenburg County* 337,280 17,042 5.1%

Honolulu* 384,000 15,187 4.0%

Oklahoma City 388,463 14,684 3.8%

Nashville/Davidson County* 321,280 10,237 3.2%

Totals 7,967,237 685,543 9.0%

*Park system is operated on a county-wide basis.

Parkland per 1000 Residents, 2002

-- 50 Largest Cities --

City Population (2002) Total City, County, Metro, State and Federal Parks and Preserves within City (Acres) Parks and Preserves per 1000 Residents (Acres)

High Density Cities

Minneapolis 376,000 5,359 14.3

Washington, D.C. 571,000 7,576 13.3

Oakland 403,000 3,822 9.5

Boston 589,000 5,457 9.3

Baltimore 639,000 5,748 9.0

Los Angeles 3,799,000 30,136 7.9

Philadelphia 1,492,000 10,621 7.1

San Francisco 764,000 5,143 6.7

Long Beach 472,000 2,741 5.8

New York 8,084,000 36,646 4.5

Chicago 2,886,000 11,729 4.1

Miami 375,000 1,285 3.4

Intermediate-High Density Cities

San Diego 1,260,000 37,968 30.1

Portland, Ore. 539,000 13,357 24.8

Cincinnati 324,000 7,000 21.6

Dallas 1,211,000 21,670 17.9

Denver 560,000 6,447 11.5

Las Vegas 509,000 5,416 10.6

Seattle 570,000 6,029 10.6

Sacramento 435,000 4,397 10.1

St. Louis 338,000 3,385 10.0

Arlington, Tex. 350,000 3,281 9.4

Pittsburgh 328,000 2,735 8.3

Toledo 309,000 2,206 7.1

Detroit 925,000 5,890 6.4

Cleveland 468,000 2,553 5.5

San Jose 900,000 3,623 4.0

Fresno 445,000 1,323 3.0

Intermediate-Low Density Cities

El Paso 577,000 26,372 45.7

Albuquerque 464,000 17,746 38.2

Austin 672,000 23,784 35.4

Colorado Springs 371,000 11,460 30.9

Phoenix 1,372,000 36,944 26.9

Wichita 355,000 7,891 22.2

Louisville/Jefferson* 696,000 14,209 20.4

Fort Worth 568,000 10,554 18.6

Tulsa 392,000 7,000 17.9

San Antonio 1,194,000 20,992 17.6

Tampa 315,000 5,271 16.7

Milwaukee/Milwaukee County* 935,000 15,115 16.2

Memphis 649,000 10,490 16.2

Indianapolis 784,000 12,582 16.0

Columbus 725,000 9,719 13.4

New Orleans 474,000 5,228 11.0

Houston 2,010,000 21,252 10.6

Atlanta 425,000 3,147 7.4

Tucson 503,000 3,175 6.3

Mesa 427,000 2,548 6.0

Low Density Cities

Jacksonville 762,000 82,349 108.1

Kansas City, Mo. 443,000 13,915 31.4

Virginia Beach 434,000 13,107 30.2

Oklahoma City 519,000 14,684 28.3

Charlotte/Mecklenburg County* 735,000 17,042 23.2

Nashville/Davidson County* 569,000 10,237 18.0

Honolulu* 893,000 15,187 17.0

Totals 48,184,000 685,543 17.0

*Park system is operated on a county-wide basis.

Public Expenditures on Parks and Preserves per Resident

-- 50 Largest Cities --

Fiscal Year 2002

City Population Sum of Expenditures Dollars per Resident

San Jose 900,000 $276,508,000 $307

Seattle 570,000 $136,007,516 $239

San Francisco 764,000 $155,086,597 $203

Washington, D.C. 571,000 $105,902,000 $185

Minneapolis 376,000 $66,225,757 $176

Denver 560,000 $80,965,277 $145

Cincinnati 324,000 $45,097,789 $139

Chicago 2,886,000 $391,641,000 $136

Honolulu* 893,000 $112,143,374 $126

San Diego 1,260,000 $154,208,585 $122

Kansas City, Mo. 443,000 $50,792,496 $115

Las Vegas 509,000 $58,140,000 $114

Long Beach 472,000 $52,009,143 $110

Tampa 315,000 $33,376,000 $106

St. Louis 338,000 $35,048,200 $104

Sacramento 435,000 $44,360,000 $102

Portland, Ore. 539,000 $52,330,778 $97

Austin 672,000 $63,270,000 $94

Mesa 427,000 $40,157,384 $94

Phoenix 1,372,000 $126,549,292 $92

Cleveland 468,000 $41,038,397 $88

Arlington, Tex. 350,000 $29,638,980 $85

Jacksonville 762,000 $60,828,629 $80

Tucson 503,000 $36,580,000 $73

Oakland 403,000 $28,983,000 $72

Boston 589,000 $39,331,000 $67

Atlanta 425,000 $27,139,649 $64

Fort Worth 568,000 $35,833,000 $63

Fresno 445,000 $26,721,200 $60

San Antonio 1,194,000 $71,667,000 $60

Charlotte/Mecklenburg County* 735,000 $43,813,071 $60

Colorado Springs 371,000 $21,501,404 $58

Nashville/Davidson County* 569,000 $31,496,142 $55

Milwaukee/Milwaukee County* 935,000 $50,452,000 $54

Virginia Beach 434,000 $23,035,013 $53

Columbus 725,000 $37,857,515 $52

Wichita 355,000 $18,216,685 $51

Miami 375,000 $18,887,114 $50

Philadelphia 1,492,000 $73,937,546 $50

Baltimore 639,000 $30,662,040 $48

Oklahoma City 519,000 $24,261,000 $47

New Orleans 474,000 $21,427,398 $45

New York 8,084,000 $360,739,800 $45

Dallas 1,211,000 $53,152,422 $44

Tulsa 392,000 $17,151,693 $44

Memphis 649,000 $27,229,000 $42

Louisville 696,000 $28,961,000 $42

Houston 2,010,000 $79,691,056 $40

Indianapolis 784,000 $29,958,282 $38

Los Angeles 3,799,000 $136,117,000 $36

Toledo 309,000 $10,719,000 $35

Totals 45,890,000 $3,616,846,224 $88

*Park system is operated on a county-wide basis.

Expenditures include both OPERATING and CAPITAL expenditures, but exclude stadiums, zoos, museums and aquariums

Numbers in italic are estimates.

If a city has more than one agency, expenditures are combined;

[Lowbrow]

Is there a difference between the first and third list?

[Guest danax]

Is there a difference between the first and third list?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoops. Now there is.

[MidtownCoog]

That's why I think we are spending far too much on this downtown park.

If Houston can annex like crazy, why can't it grad some land inside it's own limits?

As I have said before, the Wharehouse District would be a prime spot for a nice sized park. Even better would be to tailor it around the artists over there.

It would be neat to see from Wells Fargo instead of the concrete jungle.

[LTAWACS]

That's why I think we are spending far too much on this downtown park.

If Houston can annex like crazy, why can't it grad some land inside it's own limits?

As I have said before, the Wharehouse District would be a prime spot for a nice sized park.  Even better would be to tailor it around the artists over there.

It would be neat to see from Wells Fargo instead of the concrete jungle.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can thank our city leaders for this.

[bachanon]

i'm ashamed, but not surprised. i wonder what the percentage of park space is inside the loop?

if we were to have a new parks initiative, i would move that the areas nearest the light rail extensions, outside of the loop be priority. there are empty lots and, possibly, neglected and tax burdened properties the city could "obtain".

[kjb434]

There is a major flaw. Houston's parks are that list are only the ones maintained by the city. If parks like the George Bush Park in the Barker Reservoir (which is in the city limits), were included, then our ranking would go higher. Don't forget Bear Creek Park also. Theses recreational facilities are larger than Memorial which would add about 3000 acres of parks. There are several other entities like the Hike-n-Bike trails are not considered city parks, but county.

Also, the first table uses land area of the city limits. You have to realize that unlike many major cities in the US, Houston has several thousand acres not within the reservoirs (which are in the city limits) that are not developed. Also, Lake Houston's acreage is in the city limits but it is not a park. Yet recreational facilities abound around the lake.

Don't forget that Houston has three large airfields (Intercontinental, Hobby, and Ellington) and Nasa within the limits of the city. Chicago and LA only have one. O'Hare is out of the city of Chicago. Atlanta's airport is not in the city also. Dallas has Love Field, but the big airport is not in the city also.

I just want to put the statistic in perspective so people don't start on rants about how horrible Houston is over here and we never do anything right.

[MidtownCoog]

There is a nice size County Park on the south shore of Lake Houston. Backs up to Summerwood.

And don't forget further down the BW8 Sheldon St. Park Resivor. Some big old gators in there.

[VelvetJ]

I agree with kjb434, besides how many times have you heard the average Houstonian complain that there isn't enough park space near their home, or complain that they can't find a available park because it is too crowded?

Also, Houston and many cities in the south have what I call the X factor in terms of areas that aren't considered parks. There are tons of open fields all over the city where you can find people playing football, soccer, or softball. There are tons of natural wooded areas where kids explore where there are man-made trails to enjoy. Plus are the trails and greenspace along our bayous considered in that park space survey? Not to mention that Houston is a city that is full of subdivisions and single family homes that have nieghborhood pools and clubhouses that aren't part of the city. Also, in many of these single family homes, there is enough yard where many kids and families can do what they would normally do at a park. Can the same be said for the average citizen of San Francisco or New York, or Chicago?

Houston having a lack of park space is something I never quite understood or agreed with.

[Guest danax]

There is a major flaw.  Houston's parks are that list are only the ones maintained by the city. 

I just want to put the statistic in perspective so people don't start on rants about how horrible Houston is over here and we never do anything right.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But all cities can probably say about the same thing. There's also a lot of skewing with places like El Paso , which has 1 huge park which I understand is really a mountain area and Phoenix, same thing in the mountains. LA also has Griffith Park, which is a monster, but a lot of it is unusable. Still, unusable land is at least greenspace/buffer zones. We have the advantage/disadvantage of having flat, usable land.

It would seem that as land within large cities gets more expensive and density increases, less new parks will be developed so, we need to be thinking ahead a bit and spend some money on land while it's still available.

[Gary]

I'm no expert on this subject but I think that list is deceptive. As kjb434 said, the area in West Houston mentioned (Barker, Bear Creek & George Bush) is a huge parkland. I've also enjoyed Buffalo Bayou on Allen Parkway, Herman and of course Memorial park.

I've always viewed Houston as a very park friendly city. As was said, I can't remember anyone mentioning the lack of park space.

[RedScare]

It sure doesn't look like they did their research. The City of Houston has 532 parks totaling 18,452 acres. This does not include the 12,200 acre Lake Houston, which may or may not qualify as a park, but certainly is recreation. It is wholly within the city limits, which they use to trash the city on percentages.

Oddly, they appear to leave out 6800 acre George Bush park, 2154 acre Bear Creek Park, 682 acre Eisenhower Park and 309 acre Deussen Park, just to name a few, all county owned, but wholly within city limits. Their definition includes county parks in city limits.

Add those 9900+ acres to Houston's total and only Jacksonville, New York, San Diego and Phoenix have more total parkland. Add in our very own lake and only Jacksonville has more.

Now, I certainly think the city and county can and should spend more on these parks, but I'd like to see an accurate portrayal of our park assets.

[Guest danax]

Also, Houston and many cities in the south have what I call the X factor in terms of areas that aren't considered parks. There are tons of open fields all over the city where you can find people playing football, soccer, or softball. There are tons of natural wooded areas where kids explore where there are man-made trails to enjoy. Plus are the trails and greenspace along our bayous considered in that park space survey? Not to mention that Houston is a city that is full of subdivisions and single family homes that have nieghborhood pools and clubhouses that aren't part of the city. Also, in many of these single family homes, there is enough yard where many kids and families can do what they would normally do at a park. Can the same be said for the average citizen of San Francisco or New York, or Chicago?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, some good points. However shouldn't we think ahead before we get even denser with less open fields and less yard space? Our newest areas in terms of housing development, Midtown, Warehouse District, Rice Military have all gotten denser and, I don't believe have added any greenspace, have they? The hike and bike trails planned will help a bit anyway.

[VelvetJ]

^

Danax, I agree completely. I am not against park space at all. I say add more park space because as you mentioned those areas that are booming have not added any greenspace to my knowlege.

I suppose I went a little left field because Houston actually has a reputation for having inadequate park space, which I have found to be unfair simply because in most cases all things aren't considered. For example, there is actually a park near my home that is very popular, however, there is a elementary school with a jogging/walking track and playground equipment that is open to the neighborhood 24/7, that is just as popular as the park but those sort of things aren't considered either.

I'm willing to bet that if most Houstonians were asked they would be satisfied with Houston's park space.

[lockmat]

No other general park thread. Thought I'd throw this article in this one.

Jan. 11, 2007, 11:51PM

Houston's plan to expand parks slow to take root

Green space gets more precious as the area's growth eats up more land

Six years after Houston's leaders publicly embraced expansion of parks and green space, the city's not much greener.

Developers are gobbling up land in high-growth areas already starved for parks. And city officials are struggling to find new sources of funding for precious green space as development marches on.

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4465472.html

[Guest danax]

No other general park thread. Thought I'd throw this article in this one.

I moved the post from the Pearland topic to this one, which seemed the most appropriate.

It's a good plan, hope they don't let it fade away. They should buy and demolish some of the stinkiest SW apartment complexes in a strategic fashion, maybe coordinate with HPD as to which ones would have the greatest impact on crime, and turn the land into city parks.

Lower income density without balance is hell.

[lockmat]

State loans to pay off loan for park:

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/4903098.html

Just as the fate of five acres of the West 11th Street Park was looking bleak, state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, put a line item for $3.75 million in the state's urban park budget, which will keep the 20.2-acre park whole.

Since 2005, grass-roots organizations and city leaders have been working to raise $9.2 million to purchase the 20.2-acre park in Timbergrove Manor from Houston Independent School District to keep it from being sold for development.

"It was a real bolt from the blue," said Loraine Cherry, president of Friends of the West 11th Street Park. "We had all been getting prepared to go down to city council again and I had been sending out more and more grants. We had some success and had gotten some money, but we still were coming up about $3 million short.

Edited June 20, 2007 by lockmat