Nonprofit ranks Columbus parks 55th best among nation's 100 largest U.S. cities
Columbus has slipped in a yearly ranking of parks across the U.S., falling behind other Ohio cities.
Although its overall score improved from last year, Columbus fell from 53rd to 55th in the annual rankings of park systems in the nation's 100 largest cities by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.
Cincinnati, by comparison, placed fourth, while Cleveland and Toledo placed 23rd and 49th, respectively.
"Our score improved from last year, but our rank dropped by two places because other cities may have had their score increase even more than Columbus' did," said Rosalie Hendon, environmental planner with the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.
Each city's ranking, or ParkScore index, is based on five factors:
The percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.
A city's median park size, and the percentage of total city area dedicated to parks.
Park spending per resident.
Park amenities, including basketball hoops, dog parks, playgrounds, "splash pads'' and other water features, recreation and senior centers, and restrooms.
Equity, or the distribution of parks and park acres according to race and income.
How does Columbus' park system stack up to others in large cities?
Columbus scores about average in access to parks, according to the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that says it works to protect land as parks and open space.
Approximately 71% of Columbus residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, a three-point increase over last year. The median among the 100 largest cities in the U.S. is 75%.
The city also does well when it comes to the amount of land dedicated to parks. That figure stands at 10%, which the trust says is about average among large cities.
"We do have in our capital budget at least a million dollars each year, if not a little more, dedicated to acquisitions," Hendon said. "That's just our capital, and we also go after several large grants each year to develop trails and to purchase conservation properties from the state.
"Each year we're growing. There's not a year that we don't acquire land."
Room for improvement
Columbus lags in a couple of areas, though, according to the nonprofit's report.
Park spending in Ohio's capital city is $95 per resident, compared with the national average of $97. The nonprofit also says Columbus is below average when it comes to amenities.
For example, there are plenty of basketball hoops in Columbus — 6.8 per 10,000 people — but not enough dog parks, splash pads and recreation centers, the nonprofit says. (Columbus City Schools' playgrounds and basketball hoops are included in the count.)
Tim Moloney, executive director of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, said one of his concerns about the report is that the Trust for Public Land doesn't include parks in the Metro Parks system outside Columbus.
"Sharon Woods is not incorporated in the city of Columbus. Therefore, Sharon Woods is not measured at all," Moloney said. "Battelle Darby is another great example."
The trust also does not account for the city's greenways system, according to Moloney.
"The Olentangy Trail, which cuts right through Columbus, sees over 1 million visitors a year," Moloney said. "Because its a linear trail traveling through multiple jurisdictions, it doesn't appear on their measurement.
"Every community is unique and using a few standard metrics to measure their output... some just don't apply to certain areas of the country," he said.
Washington D.C. scored first on the trust's list, not unexpected given the National Mall, and the park areas around the numerous memorials in the nation's capital. St. Paul, Minnesota, was second, followed by Arlington, Virginia, and Cincinnati.
The fourth-place ranking for Cincinnati marks an improvement from last year's eighth-place finish and is the first time the Queen City has cracked the top five.
Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.
mtrombly@dispatch.com
@MonroeTrombly
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus' park system ranked 55th in nation among largest cities
