D.C. has some great parks — from famous ones like the National Mall to hidden ones like Crispus Attucks. But does it really have the best parks of any city in the US?
The folks at the Trust For Public Land sure think so! For the fourth year in a row, they’ve ranked D.C. number one for parks.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months visiting D.C. parks, as part of City Cast DC’s Ultimate D.C. Parks Quest. So far I’ve been to 58 of the District’s 683 697 parks (TPL just added 14 parks to their total count in D.C. -- c’mon guys!!)
I can confirm D.C. has amazing parks -- and lots of parks -- but also plenty of room for improvement.
In the TPL rankings, D.C. scores highly in many categories, but it really outstrips other cities in terms of park equity. In fact, the neighborhoods with the most people of color have more park acreage per person compared to white neighborhoods -- the inverse of most other cities.
But the question is, even if D.C.’s park acreage is spread equitably across the city, are things like maintenance, access, and amenities the same?
D.C.’s majority-Black neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are blessed with many large parks, like Anacostia Park, Fort Dupont, Oxon Run, and Marvin Gaye. But some lack basic amenities you’d expect elsewhere in the city, with no trails, signs, or benches. I’ve bushwhacked through some of these, and it’s not easy going.
A view of Oxon Run, near D.C.’s southern border in Ward 8. Though the park includes a large forested area, there are no trails or other amenities. (Jacob Fenston/City Cast DC Contributor)
Will Klein, who manages the ParkScore index at TPL, says the trust’s massive database can’t be used to measure the quality of individual parks or compare things like park maintenance between neighborhoods.
“We haven't cracked the nut on how to quantitatively measure what a great park looks like to each person, because each person experiences parks in different ways,” Klein explains.
The annual ParkScore rankings are meant to highlight great urban park systems and spur some friendly competition among the 100 most populous cities.
D.C.’s closest competition comes from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, ranked number 2 and 3, followed by Irvine, Ca. Arlington, Va., came in fifth, the same as last year.
