Parks (1)
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has published park standards to determine the size of parks relative to population needs. Even though each community will assess their park need in a unique manner, a standard set of criteria is useful to determine park deficiencies.
NRPA classify all parks into six categories based on descriptive characteristics and recommend a minimum amount of acreage relative to population size for each category.
National Recreation and | |||||
Type | Acres/1,000 people | Size | Population Served | Service Area | |
N/A | 2,500 square feet-2 acres | 500-2,500 | Sub-neighborhood | ||
2.5 | 5-20 acres | 2,000-10,000 | .25-.50 miles | ||
2.5 | 20-100 acres | 10,000-50,000 | .50-3.0 miles | ||
5 | Variable | Variable | Within 30 minutes driving time | ||
20 | 250+ acres | Serves entire population in small cities | Within 1 hour driving time | ||
Special Areas and Facilities | No standard is applicable for this category. Includes parkways, beaches, flood plains, downtown malls, small parks, etc. | ||||
Adapted from the National Recreation and Park Association (1983). | |||||
Many local jurisdictions have adopted these standards or a modified form of them. An analysis of the park system in the City of
| Size (acres) | Type | Acres/1,000 people | Recommended Acres | Surplus/ Deficit (-) |
600 | 20 | 600 |
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20 | 2.5 | 70 | -35 | ||
15 | |||||
10 | 2.5 | 70 | -60 | ||
1 | 0.5 | 15 | -13 | ||
Recreation Center | 1 | ||||
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| -108 acres |
The four blue circles represent geographical areas of service for community and neighborhood parks. The red circle denotes a regional park that serves a wider area than just the City of
