This has been a big year so far for Los Angeles, park-wise: We kicked off a massive and high-visibility park project this year, choosing a team to redesign much-mocked Pershing Square, and South LA's already large Magic Johnson Park is expanding and getting some fancy upgrades. But what about the park scene overall? The Trust for Public Land has released their latest ParkScore, their analysis of the public parks system for the 100 largest cities in the country. LA's in a four-way tie for 65th place. Not great, but by the numbers, there have been some improvements.
- Median park size: 4.8 acres (smaller than 2014's average of 5.2 acres)
- Park land as % of city area: 13.6 %
- Spending per resident: $79.56 (more than 2014's average, $59.66)
- Playgrounds per 10,000: 1.1
- Most visited park: Griffith Park
- Park acreage: 38,822 acres (down from 47,221 acres in 2014)
- People served per park acre: 100 (up from 82 in 2014)
LA's spending more money on making parks for Angelenos, though the median park size is shrinking. Smaller parks are popping up all over town, especially on lots that were once blighty and vacant. Griffith Park is still the city's most popular park—a distinction that probably won't ever change.
Once again, TPL has created an interactive map for the city that allows users to input an address and see what park need looks like in their neighborhood. (It also lists the closest parks for the address.) Red on the map means the area has a very high need for parks; orange means there's only a moderate need.
As in previous years, Long Beach scored much higher than LA, capturing 22nd place out of 100.
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