Seattle parks rank high nationally, but that doesn't come cheap

We cherish Seattle's parks for their beauty and diversity - how many cities can boast of saltwater beaches and deep, old-growth forests with towering evergreens right inside city limits?

The Trust for Public Land released its annual ParkScore index this month, and Seattle scored 75.4 points out of 100, clinching the No. 8 spot among the 100 most populous U.S. cities. This marks our sixth consecutive year placing in the top ten.

ParkScore's ranking methodology considers measures across five broad categories: access to parks, investment, acreage, equity and amenities.

Washington, D.C., took the crown for the sixth straight year with a score of 85.1, followed by Irvine, Calif., in second at 84.1, and Minneapolis in third at 83.4.

Durham, N.C., ranked last this year, with a score of 36.

The most dramatic mover in the ParkScore rankings was Irving, Texas, which surged 28 spots (from 99th to 71st), the result of the city's Let's Play Irving initiative that increased per capita spending from $90 to $277. Two other Texas cities - Fort Worth and Austin - made impressive gains, driven by new park openings and major investments in park systems.

Access is one of the key factors keeping Seattle's park system in the top tier. The key statistic in the report is how close residents are to a patch of grass: Ninety-nine percent of Seattle residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared with the national average of 76%.

That's great, but it doesn't come cheap.

Seattle spends a whopping $440 per resident on its park system, which sits nearly triple the national average of $154. It's voluntary. Local voters have consistently stepped up at the ballot box to pass multimillion-dollar park levies and permanent park district property taxes, earmarking hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire new green spaces, upgrade community centers, and chip away at a maintenance backlog.

We vastly outspend Portland, which ranks just behind us at ninth place overall, but spends significantly less at $274 per resident. We also comfortably beat out top-five cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul on a per capita dollar basis.

Just two cities outspend Seattle: Washington, D.C. ($449), and San Francisco ($476).

The Trust for Public Land argues that the ROI of park spending is high. An accompanying economic analysis asserts that city parks deliver $3 in economic benefits for every $1 invested. Between facilitating physical activity to lower healthcare costs and acting as green infrastructure to mitigate stormwater runoff, parks can actively reduce city expenditures.

For example, the report notes that Seattle Parks and Recreation uses its funding to provide free or low-cost swimming lessons at beaches and pools.

It is also worth noting what a data-driven index like this leaves out. While the methodology relies heavily on geographic proximity, funding and acreage, it completely bypasses a complex reality of urban park usage today. For years, people in Seattle and other cities have navigated the ongoing challenge of homeless encampments in public green spaces - an issue that affects accessibility, safety and maintenance, and is not addressed in the ParkScore rankings.

The report does highlight some areas for improvement in Seattle parks. One mediocre score that penalized Seattle was park size. The median Seattle park measures 5.4 acres, matching the national average but falling short of more sprawling systems. And we scored low on basic park amenities, particularly on sports fields, basketball hoops and public restrooms.

And perhaps we should be a little embarrassed by the dearth of dedicated pickleball courts in Seattle, given that the sport was introduced in nearby Bainbridge Island. According to the report, we have five dedicated pickleball courts, or 0.1 per 20,000 residents, which ranks near the bottom. Note that this figure does not include courts that are shared for tennis and pickleball.

The top cities for pickleball in parks are St. Petersburg, Fla., and St. Louis, both with 3.6 dedicated courts per 20,000 residents.

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