Design
Why the Grass Is Greener in Some U.S. Park Systems
The latest ranking of city parks leaves out an important lesson: Planning is as important as funding.
City rankings always merit scrutiny, for cities are incredibly varied. The Trust for Public Lands’ latest scoring of the best park systems among America’s 100 largest cities is no exception.
Filling in the top 10 are many of the usual suspects, and a couple of first-timers: Minneapolis; St. Paul; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Portland; New York City; Boston; Madison; Irvine, California; and Arlington, Virginia. At the bottom are Louisville, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Fresno, Fort Wayne, Winston-Salem, Mesa, Hialeah, and Oklahoma City.