Cincinnati Parks Rank 5th in the Nation
- May 20, 2020
The Trust for Public Land just released their 2020 ParkScore® Index, and YOUR Cincinnati Parks ranked 5th out of the 100 most populous cities in the Nation!
This year made it clear park access is vital to people, to communities, and to overall health and well-being. The ParkScore® Index highlights which cities are doing it right, by getting access to outdoor public space to the people. If you didn’t know already Cincinnati has ranked in the top 10 in the nation for years now, but this year is our highest, jumping up 3 spots to 5th place. How did your city achieve this ranking? Let’s look at the stats.
The ranking compared park lands in acreage, amenities like playgrounds and splash pads and most importantly, ACCESS, where Cincinnati excelled. In fact, 82% of Cincinnati’s population resides within a 10 minute walk of a park. The review included parks in Cincinnati managed by the Cincinnati Park Board as well as the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Cincinnati Public Schools and Great Parks of Hamilton County. With a large majority of the Cincinnati public having access to park land, the index also found park access was equal across different income levels and various demographics. The parks in Cincinnati truly are the peoples’.
Parks have a long and distinguished tradition in Cincinnati. The city is fortunate to have a robust and thriving system of parks dating back to the 1860’s with the development of Washington, Hopkins and Eden and Piatt Parks’. In 1907, George Kessler, Landscape Architect created Cincinnati’s first park master plan to lift the city out of the dirty environment of the Industrial Revolution. As a result, many have described Cincinnati as being created as a city within a park.
In 2020, Cincinnati’s park system consists of 5,000+ acres of city park land, including five regional parks, 70 neighborhood parks, 34 natural areas, five neighborhood nature centers, 30 sites managed by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, five parkways, 16 scenic overlooks, 2 arboretums and 65 miles of hiking and bridle trails.
“Here in Cincinnati we know how special our parks are to the city. Look no further than the integral role they have played as a place of respite and escape during this pandemic crisis,” commented Brad Linder President of the Board of Park Commissioners on the fact that Cincinnati Parks have remained open to the public during the ongoing COVID-19 response. He continued, “on behalf of the entire Board of Park Commissioners, it is always nice to have our suspicions validated by a national organization like this who specializes in these things.”
Cincinnati Parks Director Kara Kish offered her gratitude, “We remain thankful and humbled to serve as stewards of this the wonderful system of parks. On behalf of all of our amazing staff, our work to maintain and improve this incredible asset is only possible thanks to the consistently strong support we receive from the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, our park users and community partners led by the Parks Foundation.” She continued, “We are only looking forward to bigger and better things.”
Mayor John Cranley said, “Cincinnati is blessed to have a great park system. Through the hard work of our Parks Board and staff, we have picturesque greenspaces sprinkled across our city. The importance of parks and outdoor spaces has never been more evident than it is right now, as Cincinnati and cities across the country endure the COVID-19 crisis. Our pristine parks, creeks and trails have offered important refuge to residents from all 52 neighborhoods as we work to overcome these difficult times.”
Check the Trust for Public Land’s 2020 ParkScore® Index, we truly are in great company.
The Top 10 (Cleveland ranks 29 followed by Columbus at 49 and Toledo at 77)
- Minneapolis, MN
- Washington, DC
- Saint Paul, MN
- Arlington, VA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Portland, OR
- Irvine, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- New York, NY
- Madison, WI
Cincinnati Parks Ranks 5th in the Nation