The City of Atlanta has secured its spot as number 27 on the 2022 ParkScore Index from The Trust for Public Land (TPL). Atlanta sat at number 49 last year, but thanks to recent improvements in park access and increased investment, the city jumped 22 spots within the past year. Atlanta improved the most in rankings of any city on the list.

The annual ParkScore is a nationwide, comprehensive rating system designed to measure how well the 100 largest U.S. cities meet the need for parks. TPL’s overarching goal is to ensure everyone has a park within a 10-minute walk from their home. 

The 100 top cities’ ranking is determined by several criteria, including access, acreage, investment, amenities and equity. 

Atlanta boosted its access by adding two new parks to the mix, Westside Park — the city’s largest park — and Cook Park in Vine City. City officials and local nonprofits were also dedicated to upping investment, spending $206 per person on parks compared to the national ParkScore average of $98. 

Local leaders are celebrating this win for parks in Atlanta. 

“Great cities do the big things well and they do the small things well,” said Michael Halicki, executive director of local nonprofit Park Pride. “I think that it’s fair to say that over the past 20 years, we’ve really stepped up our game to do the big things. And I applaud Atlanta for doing the big things.”

In addition to pursuing new parks, Halicki added that now is the time to focus on the details, like park maintenance and the city’s neighborhood parks.

With the recent investments in local outdoor spaces, 77 percent of Atlanta residents now live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to last year’s 72 percent. The 100-ranked ParkScore median comes in at 75 percent.

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