It’s official: Atlanta has the 18th ranked park system in the nation, according to the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore rating. But the announcement comes amid possible funding cuts for the city’s sprawling park system.

Atlanta moved up three spots from last year’s 21st ranking in the national nonprofit’s list of park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. It marks years of growth for a city that ranked 51st back in 2016.

“Psychologically, being in the top 20 is important, especially for a city that historically has had a steady climb, particularly over the last five to 10 years,” Trust for Public Land Georgia State Director George Dusenbury said. 

Dusenbury credited the ranking to a few changes. First, Atlanta improved park access even more. The city’s high ranking in previous years is due to decent park access – now, 85% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. 

Nationally, 76% of people live within a 10-minute walk, putting Atlanta well above the national average. The city also outscored most others on park investment, but that number is a little more complicated. 

This is the first year the Trust for Public Land has included philanthropic dollars in its funding measurements. Atlanta is one of the top three cities when it comes to philanthropic funding – the added dollars push park investment to $312 per person, compared to a national average of $154. 

But major donors and groups like Trees Atlanta, Park Pride, the Conservation Fund and the Trust for Public Land can only do so much. Days before the trust announced its new ParkScore ranking, the city proposed budget revealed a reduction in park funds. 

The 2027 budget would cut general fund spending to the park system by five percent, down to $54.6 million. The reasoning relies on property tax revenue, which has grown to $42 million annually, and philanthropic dollars. 

“I feel like the city hasn’t updated its way of thinking around parks and general funds,” Park Pride President and CEO Michael Halicki said. 

Halicki is a park advocate and opponent of the budget cuts. He said the tax revenue and philanthropic funds are meant to “supplement, not supplant” general fund dollars. And he warned the budget cuts could have lasting effects – several philanthropic leaders have stepped back to see if the city will restore funds, and Halicki said funders want to ensure their investment is being maintained by the city. Dusenbury agreed. 

“If the city wants to continue improving its ParkScore rating, it needs to continue to invest in parks,” Dusenbury said. “That’s not just the shiny new things, it’s maintaining what you have.” 

When asked where Atlanta can improve its park standing, Dusenbury pointed to three main areas: maintenance, amenities and park land. Maintenance is the unglamorous key to parks. Like Halicki said, it is the detail visitors notice – not the metrics presented in an announcement. Dusenbury said in his time with the city park system, philanthropists would ask why the city is reducing park maintenance on a space they paid to build. 

The details – green grass, functional water fountains, no graffiti and functioning toilets – would bring the park system up to par with cities like Chicago.. The system also needs an amenity boost, according to Dusenbury. He encouraged more trails, dog parks, splash pads and bathrooms.

But the biggest area for improvement is the park space itself. Atlanta has a lot of park access, but those are small urban areas. Only 8.1% of the so-called “city in the forest” is actual park land. The median park is roughly 2.9 acres, compared to a 5.4 acre national average. 

Dusenbury said Atlanta needs more nature parks and preserves: Big, sprawling green space with forests, water and winding trails. “The mental and physical health benefits of getting out into those nature parks are astounding,” he said. 

The city has made some strides, with nature preserves like Lake Charlotte and the Herbert Greene Nature Preserve. These parks are bigger and less developed than a spot like the Beltline. 

Dusenbury said the parks act not just as the “lungs” of the city, but also the kidneys. “They’re pumping pollutants out of the air, and they’re also reducing the temperature,” Dusenbury said. 

Even with room to grow, though, the city has been on a steady rise in the ParkScore rankings. Dusenbury said it comes down to the people. 

“There are people from every community in Atlanta who really care about and invest time and their money in parks, and that is what is so heartening,” Dusenbury said. “Because at the end of the day, it’s not about grass, it’s not about trees. It’s about the people, it’s about the communities.”

Still, numbers and rankings only mean so much to park leaders and residents. That’s why park advocates like Halicki are focused on the “lived experience” of people who come in: what they think of maintenance, how they access the park and how they see Atlanta’s famed greenspace. 

“They don’t see our ranking,” Halicki said. “They see how our parks are being taken care of.” 

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