Mecklenburg parks were among the worst in US last year. Here’s how they fared this year

Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s park system, consistently ranked almost dead last across the country’s 100 largest cities since 2012, narrowly improved in a new survey released Thursday by a nonprofit that advocates for urban parks.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg now ranks No. 91, compared to No. 95 last year, in the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index, a system that gauges criteria like park access, acreage, investment per resident and amenities. Charlotte-Mecklenburg landed at No. 97 in 2017 and 2018.

The latest ranking echoes a troubling report from Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Commission last month showing that dozens of parks are failing, and the initial price tag to fix them could range between $80 million to $115 million.

The new national rating also comes as local parks and greenways saw a surge in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic.

That pent-up demand forced community members and local leaders to grapple with persistent problems at scarce green spaces, including uneven access throughout Mecklenburg, broken or inadequate equipment, litter and graffiti. Mecklenburg Park and Recreation is finalizing a strategic plan called “Meck Playbook,” which includes goals tied to equity, programming, funding, land acquisition and environmental stewardship.

And in an open letter to the community posted on Friday, Park and Recreation Director W. Lee Jones defended Mecklenburg’s parks system, writing the Trust for Public Land’s methodology is not “aligned to the particular context geography and physical layout of our city and county.”

Jones touted other accomplishments, including a top award from the National Recreation and Park Association in 2012.

“We ARE a great system,” Jones wrote. “As an architect, I understand the importance of good design. Just take a walk through some of the sites in our system. You will find wonderfully designed buildings, protected natural resource sites and special facilities linked together by our award-winning greenway system.”

Trailing Raleigh, Durham and Winston-Salem

Washington, D.C., topped the ParkScore list, followed by St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Other North Carolina cities continue to fare better than Charlotte on ParkScore ratings. Raleigh sits at No. 31, Greensboro at No. 76, Winston-Salem at No. 79 and Durham at No. 82.

This year’s revamped index also incorporated a “park equity” metric — analyzing park space across neighborhoods of color and white neighborhoods, as well as low- and high-income neighborhoods, according to a Trust for Public Land news release. The metric also considers if people of color and low-income residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Based on park equity, some cities greatly improved their spot on the overall list, including Baltimore by 28 spots and Toledo by 27 places.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg is ranked 39 out of 100 in the equity category.

Here’s what else the new Trust for Public Land data show about shortcomings in the Charlotte area.

A 10-minute walk

▪ Only 39% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. The national average is 55%.

▪ Across age groups, 37% of people 19 or younger live within a 10-minute walk to a park, compared to 40% of adults ages 20-64 and 38% of seniors ages 65+.

▪ Across race and ethnicity, 43% of Black residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park, compared to 37% of Hispanic residents, 38% of white residents and 34% of Asian residents.

Park space

▪ Only 6% of Charlotte-Mecklenburg land is designated for parks and recreation. The national median is 15%. The Trust for Public Land doesn’t factor in parks in gated communities, private golf courses or school parks that aren’t open to the public.

▪ The top city in the overall rankings — Washington, D.C. — uses 21% of its land for parks and recreation.

Park amenities

▪ Locally, there are 3.5 playgrounds per 10,000 people. In this category, the Charlotte area scored as well or better than 70% of the 100 largest U.S. cities.

▪ There are 0.6 dog parks per 100,000 people. About 80% of the other cities scored better than the Charlotte area.

▪ There are 0.8 splashpads per 100,000 people, meaning 70% of the other cities scored better than the Charlotte area.

▪ There are 0.4 recreation and senior centers per 20,000 people. More than 75% of the other cities scored better than the Charlotte area.

Mecklenburg action

Nearly 50 local parks are in poor condition, plus 21 recreation facilities and three greenways, county commissioners learned during an April meeting.

The costliest improvements, according to the Park and Recreation Commission, are concentrated in lower-income neighborhoods. But some repair projects are already underway, the Observer has reported.

County commissioners designated “environmental leadership” as a budget priority for the upcoming fiscal year 2022, with investments totaling about $47.6 million. Of that, $13.3 million is allocated for acquiring more parkland and nature preserves, plus managing invasive species.

In her budget presentation this month, County Manager Dena Diorio also proposed allocating $5 million for park investments in under-served communities.

That follows a $2 million investment last year from commissioners, earmarked for improvements at Enderly Park, Tryon Hills Park and LC Coleman Park.

Jones, the county Park and Recreation director, urged residents to submit feedback to help Mecklenburg “continually improve.”

“The latest TPL ranking has us moving up even higher this year,” Jones said in his letter. “Though still low from a ranking perspective, constant improvement is a good thing... I would only ask that you do your own assessment of our park and recreation system and let us know your thoughts.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 6:30 AM.