Top Ten: Park it – Best recreational spaces
Shouldn’t everyone have access to constructive outdoor activities, no matter where they live?
The Trust for Public Land thinks so. The organization has created parks across the country for use by local communities so that Americans of all colors, creeds and incomes are inspired to lead healthy lifestyles; so neighborhoods are more connected; and so that residents’ natural environment is able to mitigate instances of flood, drought and other natural disasters.
ParkScore is a national standard developed by the Trust for Public Land to advocate for improved park systems. It was created by evaluating the 100 most populous cities in the U.S. based on park equity, or how accessible existing parks are to disparate races and incomes; access for the differently abled; investment amenities; and acreage.
In the top cities, as many as 99% of residents live near a park. More than 21% of city land is used for parks, and an average of almost $400 per person is invested in park amenities, maintenance and programming.
The U.S. cities with the top ParkScore ratings for 2025 are:
- Washington, D.C.
- Irvine, Calif.
- Minneapolis, Minn.
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- St. Paul, Minn.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- Arlington, Va.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Portland, Ore.
- Denver, Colo.
Source: https://www.tpl.org/parkscore
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