Irvine's Parks Ranked 7th in Nation for Quality, Access, Equity

IRVINE - The City of Irvine park system has been ranked 7th in the nation by a leading nonprofit, the sixth consecutive year the city's parks have been honored.

The Trust for Public Land has just released their annual Park Score Index, which ranks the nation’s 100 largest cities based on factors including park access, acreage, investment, and amenities.

“We are proud to have one of the top 10 park systems in the nation for the sixth consecutive year,” said Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “The importance our parks have played in the community’s mental and physical health this past year cannot be overstated. Our valuable parks and open space are one of the many reasons Irvine is an ideal home for families, kids, individuals, and outdoor enthusiast of all kinds.”

The report noted that 89% of Irvine residents live within a 10-minute walk of a green space, compared to just 33% of Californian's statewide. In addition 91% of children and 90% of seniors live within that 10-minute boundary. In addition, the report found that 26% of Irvine's total land area is used for green space, almost twice the national level for land allocation.

In California Irvine was bettered only by San Francisco, which achieved perfect scores for investment and access. San Diego was the second ranked Southern California city at 27, followed by Long Beach at 31, Anaheim at 58, Riverside at 69, Los Angeles at 77 and Santa Ana at 88. Washington, D.C. was ranked 1st overall.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit that seeks to increase access to green space for all Americans. The Trust's Park Score Index is published each Spring.

This year's results can be viewed in full at tpl.org/parkscore.