City of Austin aims to provide parks within walking distance of all residents. Imagine Austin calls for expanded and equitable access to parks throughout the city. This metric measures the percentage of residents within walking distance to any nearby parks, where they may enjoy the emotional and health benefits of leisure, recreation, and physical activity.

 The Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) has been tracking access to parks since 2009, when City Council adopted the goal of having all residents within a five to ten minute walk to a park. Previously, this metric only accounted for “as the grackle flies” direct distances from parks, not actual walking distances. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, PARD improved on its methodology to more accurately measure walkability and walking distance to parks. As such, this improvement better reflects the true access to the City’s parks system.

Areas that are outside of walking distance to parks are known as “park deficient”, meaning that residents within such areas lack adequate access to parks. By reducing park deficiency, we increase the percentage of residents who have access to parks, thereby improving the health and wellness benefits the City’s parks provide.

 A ten minute walk equals roughly a half-mile, and a five minute walk equals roughly a quarter-mile. A ten minute walk to the park is considered the standard for parks to yield a quality of life impact on users. The one-quarter mile walking distance metric within the urban core, and one-half mile walking distance outside the urban core, are thresholds set by a national standard for access to a quality park system in a community, and further defined within the parkland dedication ordinance.

 In 2018, the percentage of residents who had access to parks and open spaces was at 67%, and fell slightly in 2019 to 64%. This decrease is due to the improved data collection methodology by PARD, which now measures the walkability of our urban environment. The 2019 outcome accounts for physical and navigational barriers when walking to the park, whereas in 2018, the outcome reflected the old direct distance method of calculating access. In 2020, park access improved slightly to 65%, and in 2021 increased further to 68%. These improvements are a result of PARD’s targeted parkland acquisitions and its parkland dedication requirements. New developments dedicate parkland and/or pay a fee in-lieu with which PARD purchases the newly-needed parkland. Through parkland dedication, PARD is able to better keep pace with the city’s growth, by having development pay its own way (see bottom of page for more info).

 Note: to see the underlying data for this chart, please select the "View Source Data" link to the left.

PARD also tracks the following metrics to assess the health of the City’s parks system: Number of city park acres per 1,000 population; percent of CIP spending plan achieved; percent of the City of Austin that is classified as parkland deficient.

By tracking these measures, we can better understand access to, and deficiency of, parkland across the city. Below is a link to the GIS map that shows access to parks and parkland deficiency.

This metric directly links to the following SD23 Strategy under the Health & Environment Outcome: H.E.#8: Leverage innovative financing models and partnerships to support, maintain, and expand parks, open spaces, recreational facilities, and our urban trail network. PARD improves park access (represented by HE.C.1) through parkland dedication. The City of Austin’s current parkland dedication ordinance, adopted in 2016, is one of the most innovative sources for expanding a municipality’s parks system; it has been a bellwether for cities across the U.S. hoping to expand their parks system as they grow (see bottom of page for more info).

By tracking this data, we can better understand access and deficiency to parkland across the city. This metric directly links to the following SD23 Strategy under the Health & Environment Outcome: H.E.#8 Leverage innovative financing models and partnerships to support, maintain, and expand parks, open spaces, recreational facilities, and our urban trail network.

Below is a link to the GIS map that shows access to parks and parkland deficiency.