Tulsa came in 60th for the second straight year in the Trust for Public Land's ParkScore rankings.
Park spending per resident in Tulsa climbed from $67 to $75. That figure includes public and private money and volunteer work.
"We know about the big investment and improvements going on by River Parks Authority around the Gathering Place for Tulsa, and I think that along with some other investments throughout the park system is really getting reflected," said TPL Center for City Park Excellence Program Coordinator Ali Hiple.
Tulsa’s investment score is still below the U.S. average, however, as is its proportion of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park. In America’s 100 biggest cities, 72% of residents have that kind of access, while 59% of Tulsans do.
While the city scored below average in most categories in the ParkScore index, Tulsa ranked in the 96th percentile for splash pads.
"Splash pads are a wonderful water feature, because they don’t require you to know how to swim, they can be a little bit easier added into a city’s park system because of the smaller footprint than a swimming pool," Hiple said.
Hiple said parks offer recreation opportunities, create health benefits for residents, and hold environmental upsides, like capturing flood water and providing shade.
"So, all in all, parks and the park systems of the city are really important to a city’s health," Hiple said.
In the 2019 rankings of park access, investment, acreage and amenities in America’s 100 largest cities, Oklahoma City came in 37 spots below Tulsa at 97. On the other end, Washington, D.C., jumped ahead of Minneapolis to take the top spot.
