Photography by Danny Fulgencio.
Dallas rose four spots to No. 50 in a national nonprofit’s assessment of park systems in the United States.
The Trust for Public Land ranks park systems in the 100 most populous cities on access, investment, acreage, amenities and equity. Washington, DC claimed the top spot ahead of second-place finisher Saint Paul, Minnesota, and third-place Minneapolis.
Plano leads Texas cities, placing 15th, followed by Dallas. Arlington was No. 78, Fort Worth was No. 89, Garland was No. 93 and Irving was 97.
Dallas’ jump in the rankings was the result of several positive findings.
The median Dallas park size is 7.8 acres, above the national median of 5.4 acres. Seventy-three percent of Dallas residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, surpassing the national average of 55 percent.
Residents in neighborhoods of color have access to 48 percent more park space per person than the city median and 25 percent more than those in white neighborhoods. Residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 12 percent more park space per person than the city median and 2 percent more than those in high-income neighborhoods.
