Over a fifth of the city's land is dedicated to vibrant green spaces.
Did you know the nation's capital is also its greenest city?
Source: Zihao Wang/Unsplash
While Washington, D.C., is well known as the nation's political hub, a
The organization evaluates park systems across the 100 largest U.S. cities, placing Washington, D.C., at the top of the list for the sixth year in a row. Cities are given a park score from zero to 100 based on five specific criteria, which include park amenities, acreage, and overall accessibility.
The capital earned a total score of 85.1 points, achieving a perfect score for investment due to high public and private park spending per resident. It also scored an impressive 99 points for accessibility, as 99% of its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to a 76% average across the rest of the country. Its lowest performance was a 55 out of 100 in the acreage category, dragged down by a median park size score of just nine. Even so, the study noted that the capital boasts 693 parks making up 21% of its total area, which is six percentage points above the national median.
When it comes to amenities, the city excelled with perfect marks for its dog parks, splash pads, and senior centers, along with a 97 for basketball hoops. Its weakest areas in this category were playgrounds, scoring 36 out of 100, and sports fields, which scored 29.
Elliott L. Ferguson, II, the president and CEO of the city's marketing organization, Destination DC, notes that intentionally designed green spaces and natural beauty are fundamental to the city's identity, helping make it a highly walkable and bike-friendly destination. He adds that with nearly 700 parks packed into just 70 square miles, visitors can easily walk from the highly popular National Mall to Rock Creek Park, America's oldest urban park, while enjoying beautiful gardens along the way. The National Mall itself draws more than 30 million visitors annually, many of whom look for affordable airport parking options when budgeting for their trips to the capital.
Irvine, California, held onto its second-place ranking, largely due to ongoing advancements with its Great Park, which the report calls one of the most ambitious public park projects in the country. Minneapolis secured the third spot, utilizing 16% of its land for parks and recreation.
Looking at individual sub-categories, the report showcases Boise, Idaho, as the top city for dog parks, while Cincinnati earned the highest praise for playgrounds, and Boston took first place for splash pads. If you need to travel to see these top-tier parks, it's always smart to secure a purchase to fly voucher early to save on travel costs.
The complete report and all of its data are available directly on tpl.org. If you are planning a trip to explore any of these green cities soon, checking the rates for airport parking ahead of time can help keep your travel budget on track.
