Charlotte Metro Ranked Among Worst In Nation For Parks

CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte and Mecklenburg County is home to one of the worst park systems out of America’s 100 largest cities, according to new rankings released Wednesday by The Trust for Public Land. The organization assessed park systems based on size, spending, amenities and proximity to residents.

Here’s what the authors found for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, which earned an overall score of 28.9 out of 100 possible points, leaving it with a ranking of No. 96:

Acreage

• Median park size: 16.5 acres (national median is 5 acres)
• Parkland as a percent of city area: 6 percent (national median is 9.4 percent)

Access

• Percent of residents who live within a 10-minute walk to a park: 36 percent (national median is 69 percent)

Investment

• Spending per resident: $48 (national median is $90 per resident)

Amenities

• Basketball hoops per 10,000 residents: 3.7 (national median is 3 per 10,000 residents)
• Dog parks per 100,000 residents: 0.5 (national median is 1.1 per 100,000 residents)
• Playgrounds per 10,000 residents: 2.1 (national median is 2.5 per 10,000 residents)
• Recreation and senior centers per 20,000 residents: 0.5 (national median is 0.8 per 20,000 residents)
• Restrooms per 10,000 residents: 0.5 (national median is 1.5 per 10,000 residents)
• Splashpads and spraygrounds per 100,000 residents: 0.7 (national median is 1.2 per 100,000 residents)

The nonprofit said 72 percent of Americans in the 100 largest cities live within a 10-minute walk of a park, up from 70 percent last year. That means millions of people don’t have access to public outdoor space, which is vital for healthy communities.

It’s no secret that many Americans are overweight. As fun as it might be to binge-watch “Game of Thrones” or “The Office,” sedentary lifestyles are a major reason that 40 percent of adults are obese. But research shows that quality outdoor environments like parks and playgrounds encourage people to run, jump, skip, shoot, swing and otherwise play, according to the University of Washington’s College of the Environment.

That’s especially true if they’re easily accessible.

“One study found that people who use public open spaces are three times more likely to achieve recommended levels of physical activity than those who do not use the spaces,” the college wrote on its website. “Users and potential users prefer nearby, attractive, and larger parks and open spaces.”

In the 2019 rankings, Washington, D.C. supplanted Minneapolis for the honor of America’s best city park system. The authors highlighted that 98 percent of residents in the nation’s capital live near a park and about one-fifth of city area is set aside for parks.

But it was the city’s improved park amenities that pushed it ahead of the Twin cities. Muriel Bowser, mayor of D.C., said more than $200 million was invested to ensure residents can access playgrounds, nature trails and other public parks.

“D.C. is truly a city of parks that serve as hubs of activity and beauty for neighborhoods and provide substantial social, economic, and health benefits to our residents,” Bowser said in a news release.

Here are the top 10 cities for park systems and their scores:

1. Washington, D.C., 83.8
2. Saint Paul, MN, 83.2
3. Minneapolis, MN, 81.8
4. Arlington, VA, 81.3
5. Portland, OR, 79.7
6. Irvine, CA, 79.2
7. San Francisco, CA, 79.0
8. Cincinnati, OH , 78.3
9. New York, NY, 76.0
10. Chicago, IL, 75.4

Charlie McCabe, director of the center for city park excellence at the nonprofit, told Patch his organization works with more than 300 public parks agencies and 181 nonprofit groups. Any facility owned and run by a public agency is included in the data, as are any public properties helped by a nonprofit. This includes public parks, golf courses or public cemeteries that are open to the general public.

However, homeowners groups parks are often privately held properties owned by an HOA and are often restricted to the general public. Those that are not restricted are included in the data.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.