NEWS + EVENTS

​Arlington has one of the best park systems in the country according to The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit group whose website states their mission is “to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.” Washington, D.C. is also in the top five.

The nonprofit’s methodology for ranking parks consists of 4 factors according to their website:

• Acreage:
  • Median park size and park acres as % of city area
•  Investment
  • Spending per resident includes public, private, and monetized volunteer hours
•  Amenities
  • An average of six key park facilities on a per capita basis
•  Access
  • Percentage of the population living within a ten-minute walk of a public park

The top ten parks listed were:

1. Minneapolis, MN
2. St. Paul, MN
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Arlington, VA
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Portland, OR
7. Cincinnati, OH
8. Chicago, IL
9. New York, NY
10. Irvine, CA

“Park Facts” (from the website) for Arlington include:

• Park acreage: 1,767 acres
• People served per park acre: 129
• Oldest municipal park: Glencarlyn Park, est. 1940
• Largest municipal park: Glencarlyn Park, 96 acres
• Most-visited municipal park: Long Bridge Park

You can view more stats on the website here.


References:
10 Minute Walk. (2018). The Trust for Public Land. Source: https://www.tpl.org/10minutewalk

Methodology. (2018). Parkscore. Source: http://parkscore.tpl.org/methodology.php

City Profiles: Arlington. (2018). Parkscore. Source: http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Arlington