Miami may not be known for major parks — like other major cities — but, according to a recent nonprofit report, the city is climbing the ranks of U.S. metro areas when it comes to access to green space.
In its annual Parks Score report, Trust For Public Land ranks the nation's 100 most populous cities in terms of access to parks in the following five categories: equity, access, investment, amenities and acreage. The organization is a nonprofit that works to connect people with the outdoors and works with local governments to promote parks.
In its most recent report published this month, Miami ranked 34th in Park Score among major cities. Washington, D.C., for comparison, was the number one city for parks access, equity and investment.
" [Parks] make a higher quality of life more affordable for people right now. They improve people's health, they increase property value, and they're a winning strategy for city leaders across the country," said Will Klein, director of parks research at Trust for Public land.
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The city of Miami actually climbed from the 35th spot on the list last year thanks to investment in more parks around the city, according to Klein.
" Where Miami really excels is almost everybody in the city has a close-to-home park. Almost everybody can walk to at least one park, and often at those parks there's a wide range of amenities," Klein said. "There's lots of stuff for people to do, and they're relatively well-distributed across the city."
Part of that progress is thanks to city investment from the Miami Forever Bond, a $400 million municipal loan program passed in 2017 to pay for parks and infrastructure improvements. Approved projects with Miami Forever funding include a wide array of parks, community centers, and dog parks.
According to Trust for Public Lands' data analysis, Black communities and low-income neighborhoods in Miami have more park space than the city's average for other groups.
Where the city lacks is in the size of parks and the amount of land used for green space.
" Only 6% of the city's total land area is dedicated to parks and green space. That's well below the national average of 9 or 10%, among the bottom 20 large cities in the country," Klein explained.
For comparison, whereas only 39% of Jacksonville residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park compared to Miami's 89%, the city of Jacksonville devotes 19% of its land to parks and recreation — far above the national average.
Much of the city of Miami's area is already developed, and property is at a premium. The biggest park project on the horizon is the proposed 58-acre Jorge Mas Canosa Park adjacent to Miami Freedom Park, home of the Nu Stadium and Inter Miami soccer. The park is expected to open in 2026.
