Oklahoma City ranks 96th out of 100 for meeting residents’ need for parks.
Oklahoma City spends less than half of our peer cities on park maintenance according to the Parks Master Plan. Oklahoma City also ranks 96th out of the 100 most populous U.S. cities for how well we meet residents’ need for parks. We are up 3 spots from 2021, where we were ranked 99th out of 100. Unfortuantely, we are still far off from our 2018 ranking of 81st out of 100.
At Greater Oklahoma City Parks & Trails Foundation, we know there is still room to grow! When compared to other cities, we shine in the number of splashpads per 100,000 residents. Yet when it comes to ensuring that all Oklahoma City residents have access to green spaces, we are investing and maintaining them all, we fall incredibly short.
We feel a critical responsibility to help improve the investment in the maintenance and operations of our parks and trails for future generations. As a leading advocate for parks and trails, our mission will be dedicated to working with donors, community organizations and government agencies to enhance our local park spaces and educating people on how they can get involved.
We believe our public parkland should be preserved and maintained. We believe all Oklahoma City residents regardless of where they live, have the right to safe, accessible parks. We believe access to free recreation will make our city healthy and vibrant for years to come. Lastly, we believe that citizens should be able to actively come together to improve their parks, and in turn their neighborhoods.
