Most In Winnetka, Glencoe Are Within Walking Distance To A Park

WINNETKA-GLENCOE, IL — 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.

But new data crunched by The Trust for Public Land released last week suggests many Americans — one in three — don’t have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of their home.

Not so along much of the North Shore. In Winnetka, 95 percent of residents live near a park and only 581 residents live in so-called “park deserts.” Meanwhile Glencoe, 98 percent of people are in walking distance to a park and only 211 people live longer a 10-minute walk from one.

Here’s a park breakdown of Winnetka and Glencoe

Total parks

• Glencoe: 33
• Winnetka: 24

Total acreage

• Glencoe: 455, equal to 343 football fields.
• Winnetka: 294

How many kids live within a 10-minute walk of a park?

• Glencoe: 97 percent
• Winnetka: 95 percent

As for neighboring towns, a healthy 96 percent of Wilmette residents and 92 percent of people in Highland Park are within the group's definition of walking distance. Three out of four Northbrook residents can walk to a park – leaving out 8,485 people, while in Northfield, 67 percent of people can walk to a park as easily.

Nationwide, just 54 percent of people in urban areas live near a park, the organization found.

“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 recently released a mapping tool showing what areas of Glencoe and Winnetka are best served by local parks. 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.

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.