In response to the news of TPL\u2019s report, Orlando spokesperson Ashley Papagni provided details about the city\u2019s ongoing and planned efforts to improve parks and playgrounds, as well as a 25% growth in green space over the last 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city also believes in park accessibility and invests in a number of pocket parks that spread across the city,\u201d Papagni said by email.<\/p>\n
Of the 100 largest U.S. cities evaluated on the ParkScore index, seven are in Florida. St. Petersburg just slid into the top 20, ranking at No.19.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a \u2018ParkScore,\u2019 anyway?<\/p>\n
The nonprofit describes its ParkScore index<\/a> as \u201cthe most complete and in-depth look at U.S. city park systems.\u201d It ranks park systems on five categories: acreage, investment, amenities, access and equity. The analysis is of parks within city limits, so it doesn\u2019t include parks in unincorporated Orange County.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s report focuses on parks\u2019 potential to yield a big return on investment<\/a> for cities. It comes at a time when, nationally, \u201cpark investments are slowing \u2014 or even stopping\u201d following a decade of progress, according to TPL. Some of that appears to be due to federal funding cuts, based on responses from 73% of the cities evaluated for the ParkScore index.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of cities say they can’t afford to maintain their parks,\u201d said George Dusenbury, TPL\u2019s vice president for the Southeast.<\/p>\n According to the analysis, though, every dollar invested in parks and recreation produces at least $3 in local economic benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing near a park actually increases property values, because people like living near parks. And so that increases revenue for the city,\u201d Dusenbury said. \u201cThe easier it is to walk to the park, the more apt people are to use the park, [and] the more apt you are to see the mental and physical health benefits, the social benefits. \u2026 You’re just building a better quality of life for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n East Lake Park in Southeast Orlando is one of more than 148 parks, gardens, recreation areas, neighborhood centers and playgrounds within the city limits.<\/p>\n Digging into Orlando\u2019s data<\/p>\n Orlando<\/a> scored highest in the park access category, which evaluates the proportion of a city\u2019s residents living within a walkable half-mile of a park. With close to 71% of its population living that close, Orlando scores \u201cabout average\u201d for park access, according to TPL<\/a>. For the 100 most populous U.S. cities, the average proportion is 76%, but it dips to 57% when looking at residents of urban cities and towns more broadly.<\/p>\n Orlando also performs well on the investment metric. The city spends $176 per person annually on publicly-accessible parks and recreation, \u201cwell above\u201d the national average of $154, according to TPL.<\/p>\n But Orlando continues to be lacking in park acreage, despite making small gains since last year\u2019s report. About 6.3% of the city is dedicated to parkland now, up slightly from last year\u2019s 5.5%. Across all 100 of the most populous cities, the average is 18%.<\/p>\n The difference shrinks dramatically when comparing Orlando\u2019s park acreage to that of other cities also considered to be growing \u201cvery fast.\u201d Among those very fast-growing cities, the average percentage of land dedicated to parks is 7%.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that is the biggest challenge,\u201d Dusenbury said. \u201cIf you want to maintain that quality of life, if you want to maintain that access to the outdoors \u2014 how do you do that when you see that development pressure?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a challenge facing many larger cities in the Southeast, Dusenbury said, due in part to historical development patterns.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of that is developing in the age of the automobile,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had a little bit of sprawl, and cities just did not make that initial investment in their park system. Now, they’re scrambling to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n By contrast, lots of older, northern cities were designed to be walkable from the outset.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are benefiting from decisions made 100 years ago,\u201d Dusenbury said, \u201cOrlando and other large cities in the Southeast do not have that luxury.\u201d<\/p>\n As Orlando becomes more densely populated and developed, investing in park acreage along the way will be critical, he said.<\/p>\n Big Tree Park in Orlando’s Park Lake\/Highland area features one of the oldest trees in the city, at likely between 350-400 years old.<\/p>\n Dusenbury said efforts at the local level are especially key right now because state-level investments in land conservation are on the decline. Florida lawmakers are still trying to land on a budget for the next fiscal year, but the most recent proposals drastically limit funding for the state\u2019s land acquisition program, Florida Forever.<\/p>\n![\"East](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779791173_677_.jpeg\"\/)
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