Credit: Visit Philadelphia
After remaining in the low thirties for the past three years, Philadelphia's park system has improved, rising four spots to rank 28th among the 100 largest American cities.
With developments in investment, equity, and amenities, Philadelphia parks are moving in a positive direction. While this is an upward trend, it remains to be seen how massive federal spending cuts facing the Department of the Interior may impact Philadelphia’s local park systems.
The park system ranking originates from the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that creates parks and protects land to ensure healthy and sustainable communities. They were founded in 1972 based on the idea that access to the outdoors is crucial for human well-being, and have since worked to create nature-rich environments.
In order to further their mission, Trust for Public Land created the annual ParkScore report, which ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities by the quality of their parks. Their ParksScore index provides ample data for each featured city to guide local park investment efforts.
The city park systems are measured on 15 metrics across five categories: acreage, investment, amenities, access, and equity. For each of the 15 metrics, points are awarded relatively, meaning they are based on how the city compares to the 100 largest U.S. cities.
This year, the top cities in the ParkScore Report were Washington, D.C. at number one, followed by Irvine, CA, Minneapolis, MN, Cincinnati, OH, then St. Paul, MN. Philadelphia rounded out at 28th place.
"Our dedicated staff work every day to maintain and improve our park system, especially in neighborhoods that have historically seen less investment," said Philadelphia Parks and Rec in a statement to Philly Daily. "The increase in our ParkScore reflects that hard work and our commitment to making progress block by block."
Based on the report, Philadelphia ranked high on the access category, being awarded 94 out of 100 points. This is because 95% of Philadelphia residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, which is far beyond the national average of 57%.
Equity and amenities were the next highest categories, each achieving 72 out of 100 points. Equity is measured by the amount of nearby park space between communities by race and income. Although Philadelphia scored relatively well, a notable fact from the report is that residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 14% less park space per person than those in the average Philadelphia neighborhood, and 36% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.
By amenities, Trust for Public Land measures the availability of the country’s seven most popular park features: basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, recreation and senior centers, restrooms, splash pads, and sports fields. Philadelphia scored well on recreation centers and splash pads (100/100 points!), but scored the worst on dog parks, achieving only 6 out of 100 points.
Philadelphia’s acreage score, which is calculated from median park size and park land as a percentage of city area, was middle of the road at 47 points. The city’s lowest-scoring category was investment, which is measured by the amount of public spending, nonprofit spending, and volunteer hours dedicated to local parks.
In Philadelphia, total investment spending was calculated to be $112 per capita, while the average among the 100 most populous American cities is $133 per person. This led to an investment score of 31 out of 100 points.
Although investment was Philadelphia’s worst-scoring category, spending increased compared to 2024’s numbers, which were calculated to be only $86 per resident. This rise in spending, likely due to ongoing projects such as the Philly Tree Plan or the Carousel House Project, contributed to Philadelphia’s four-spot hike in the total rankings.
Despite Philadelphia’s improving ParkScore, the future growth of the city’s park systems may be affected by actions at the national level.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made headlines when it proposed steep budget cuts to environmental agencies. This announcement resulted in mass terminations back in February, where 5% of the National Park Service staff and around 10% of the U.S. Forest Service staff were fired.
Though these actions most directly impact federally protected land, the effects trickle down to the state and municipal levels.
Through the State and Local Assistance Programs Division, the National Park Service supports local public parks and recreation opportunities by providing grants. A lower budget for the National Park Service likely means less money funneling to states through this division.
While the future of these impacts is uncertain, for now, Philadelphians can celebrate the city’s ParkScore growth. Maintaining this momentum will be integral to creating better green spaces and recreation services for residents.
"Guided by Mayor Parker’s vision of making Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, and greenest big city in the nation, we remain focused on delivering high-quality parks and public spaces for all Philadelphians," said Philadelphia Parks and Rec.
