Tampa Ranks Above National Average For City Parks

TAMPA, FL - It's no secret that public parks are essential to a community's health, particularly for kids. They provide a safe place for people to gather, explore and play. They give dogs a place to frolic. They often increase the value of surrounding homes. And they can serve as a home for major festivals and events.

New data crunched by The Trust for Public Land show that the city of Tampa ranks above the national average for the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park. In Tampa, 226,964 residents, or 62 percent, live near a park. The national average is 54 percent.

The organization released figures last week that show many Americans — one in three — don't have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of their home. In Tampa, 140,215 residents live in so-called "park deserts."

Here's a breakdown of Tampa:

• Total parks: 203
• Total acreage: 6,047, which is equal to 4,581 football fields
• Percent of kids who live within a 10-minute walk of a park: 60 percent (The national average is 55 percent.)

Children's use of neighborhood parks increases by 400 percent when parks are closer to home, according to the organization.

To see which neighborhoods have the most and least access to a park, click here and enter your city's name. Then scroll down about half-way and click the button labeled "DIVE DEEP: See where your community needs parks the most."

The dark green areas on the map indicate existing park space and the red areas show neighborhoods that need a park. The blue circled numbers indicate the best locations for new park development, ranked by how significant an impact it would have on the neighborhood.

"Today, more than 100 million people in communities across America don't have a park within a 10-minute walk of home — and that's 100 million too many," Diane Regas, president and CEO of the organization, said in a release. "ParkServe will help us address this challenge, so every person in America can experience the countless benefits of having a park close to home."

The group says this is the first time in America's history that every park in each urban municipality has been mapped. Residents can now determine who has and who lacks walkable access to a park, an important tool for city planners.

The tool also allows people to see the percentage of residents who live near a park by income, ethnicity, age and other demographic factors.

"The ParkServe data platform takes the guesswork out of planning where to put a park," said Breece Robertson, the director of the group's geographic information system. "It tells mayors and recreation departments, 'To serve the most people in need, build a park right here.' "

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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