Fresno's park system again ranks last among the biggest cities in America, but there is improvement, says the Trust for Public Land, which releases its analysis Wednesday.
Half of Fresno residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park -- up from 35% in 2012. Park spending and availability of playgrounds also nudged upward.
Still, Fresno was No. 50, while three other California cities finished in the top 10, including Sacramento.
The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit group, based its ParkScore analysis on such factors as percentage of park land in a city, parks spending per resident and playgrounds per 10,000 residents.
The trust, which is dedicated to creating parks, expanded the ParkScore rankings from 40 to 50 cities this year, but it made little difference for Fresno.
"Fresno has a lot of ground to catch up," said Peter Harnik, director of Center for City Park Excellence, a research arm of the trust. "But we're encouraged by the improvement we have seen in one year."
Sacramento tied with San Francisco and Boston for third. San Diego was ninth. Other California cities included are San Jose, tied for 11th; Oakland, 18th; Long Beach, 22nd, and Los Angeles, 34th.
As attractions, Sacramento has the long-established American River Parkway. San Francisco has glittering Golden Gate Park.
Fresno has long been linked with crown jewels of the National Park System -- Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. They're only a couple of hours away by car.
Harnik said national parks are necessary, too, but they are not a replacement for city parks.
"Parks define neighborhoods," he said. "They give us a chance to get away without having to make a day of it or do a lot of driving."
The bottom line is that Fresno needs more park acreage and more playgrounds, Harnik said. Eight percent of Sacramento is dedicated to parks. Fresno devotes 2% of city land to parks, he said.
On the other hand, no city in the San Joaquin Valley has two regional parks the size of Woodward and Roeding, which are major socializing crossroads in Central California. The two parks are considered solid building blocks.
The ParkScore analysis also showed Fresno playgrounds slightly grew from 1.25 per 10,000 residents in 2012 to 1.35 this year. Per capita park spending inched up from $54.98 to $57.67. But it will take more, Harnik said.
"People are always cautious about spending tax dollars, especially the way the economy has been," he said. "But it will pay off with a better place to live and grow."
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6316, [email protected] or @markgrossi on Twitter.
Half of Fresno residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park -- up from 35% in 2012. Park spending and availability of playgrounds also nudged upward.
Still, Fresno was No. 50, while three other California cities finished in the top 10, including Sacramento.
The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit group, based its ParkScore analysis on such factors as percentage of park land in a city, parks spending per resident and playgrounds per 10,000 residents.
The trust, which is dedicated to creating parks, expanded the ParkScore rankings from 40 to 50 cities this year, but it made little difference for Fresno.
"Fresno has a lot of ground to catch up," said Peter Harnik, director of Center for City Park Excellence, a research arm of the trust. "But we're encouraged by the improvement we have seen in one year."
Sacramento tied with San Francisco and Boston for third. San Diego was ninth. Other California cities included are San Jose, tied for 11th; Oakland, 18th; Long Beach, 22nd, and Los Angeles, 34th.
As attractions, Sacramento has the long-established American River Parkway. San Francisco has glittering Golden Gate Park.
Fresno has long been linked with crown jewels of the National Park System -- Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. They're only a couple of hours away by car.
Harnik said national parks are necessary, too, but they are not a replacement for city parks.
"Parks define neighborhoods," he said. "They give us a chance to get away without having to make a day of it or do a lot of driving."
The bottom line is that Fresno needs more park acreage and more playgrounds, Harnik said. Eight percent of Sacramento is dedicated to parks. Fresno devotes 2% of city land to parks, he said.
On the other hand, no city in the San Joaquin Valley has two regional parks the size of Woodward and Roeding, which are major socializing crossroads in Central California. The two parks are considered solid building blocks.
The ParkScore analysis also showed Fresno playgrounds slightly grew from 1.25 per 10,000 residents in 2012 to 1.35 this year. Per capita park spending inched up from $54.98 to $57.67. But it will take more, Harnik said.
"People are always cautious about spending tax dollars, especially the way the economy has been," he said. "But it will pay off with a better place to live and grow."
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6316, [email protected] or @markgrossi on Twitter.