Parks Are Economic Engines

You could say that Scranton, Pennsylvania, is bullish on parks these days. The city of 80,000 has invested an impressive $17 million in its 32 public parks since the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks in part to funding from the federal American Rescue Plan. That comes out to about $224 per resident, a relatively small investment for a big impact.

Scranton is in the process of replacing three public pools and rehabbing a fourth. It’s building 13 new pickleball courts, as well as a new skate park, which will feature a basin for capturing stormwater. And in June 2024 it dedicated a new pocket park where live music beckons residents on the first Friday of every month. “It’s important that parks are attractive for a wide range of age groups,” said the mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti. “We want people to have a great quality of life no matter where they are in their lives.”

Parks, it turns out, are also good for business. Yes, they offer adults and children a place to unwind, exercise, and socialize. But they also attract employers who’ve added parks and green spaces to their municipal wish lists, along with seamless transportation networks, affordable housing, and a strong workforce.

“Companies are appreciative of long-term thinking from local governments and that includes investment in parks,” Mayor Cognetti said. “Parks definitely boost quality of life, and that’s important for retaining and attracting employees.”

This past summer, Trust for Public Land and HR&A Advisors released “Parks and Economic Vitality” a report that examined five cities that have invested heavily in parks in recent years. The researchers found a strong connection between economic growth and robust park systems.

The report revealed that park investments in the five cities—Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, Boise, and Plano, Texas—were two to seven times higher than the average investment among the 100 most populous American cities. Four of the five cities experienced greater growth in total prime working-age labor forces (aged 25 to 54) than the national average. Moreover, between 2011 and 2021, housing and office development in those same cities outpaced that of the national average.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that the five cities are among more than 300 that have signed onto Trust for Public Land’s 10-Minute Walk mission. The initiative lays out a goal for cities to put a park within a 10-minute walk of everyone in the United States.

Nationwide, more than 100 million people lack access to close-to-home parks, and that includes 28 million children. Given that parks confer all sorts of health benefits, it’s vital that we close the park-equity gap by putting more parks within easy reach of all Americans. The added attraction of economic growth makes investing in parks a no-brainer.

Other 10-Minute Walk cities are also prioritizing parks as part of a broader economic strategy. In Los Angeles, which boasts several hundred parks across 490 square miles, officials are looking to the 2028 Olympic Games the city is hosting to expand and spruce up its network of parks.

Randall Winston, the city’s deputy mayor of infrastructure, said officials were studying all 15 council districts to identify potential locations for new parks and sporting venues. In addition, L.A. has trained its focus on the downtown area, which lost the usual bustle of activity during the pandemic as more people stayed home. That led to an inexorable decline of parks like Pershing Square, a trend the city is trying to reverse.

“If parks are under-utilized, then they become sources of various types of nuisances,” Winston noted. “It’s a vicious cycle. Workers stop coming into the city center, and those who do come in find fewer places where they feel safe, where they can bring lunch to a park.”

Winston said the city was in the midst of a multi-phase renovation of Pershing Square, a five-acre historic park. Plans call for improved sightlines from surrounding streets, a sculpture garden, and more greenery. While the project is expected to top $100 million, the investment should pay dividends. “Parks can be drivers of economic growth and a resource for corporations,” he explained. “We need to think about them in new and different ways—beyond just green spaces where folks exercise and sit.”

More than two thousand miles due east, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, parks are also on the city’s radar. In 2022, officials released the ambitious “One Chattanooga” plan, a blueprint to make the city more equitable, prosperous, and secure. The plan doesn’t shy away from the challenges, stating that “national research shows that Chattanooga is one of the worst cities in America to grow up poor.”

The city’s mayor, Tim Kelly, said that parks were “essential to improving quality of life in Chattanooga” by providing spaces for recreation, community building, and connection to nature. “Our One Chattanooga plan,” he added, “emphasizes the importance of parks and outdoor spaces as a way to improve public health and close existing gaps in physical and mental well-being.” The city is even trying become America’s first so-called National Park City, a label that would reflect its commitment to greenspaces.

Mayor Kelly highlighted one park project in particular that will address those disparities: the Alton Park Connector. The 2.6-mile trail will connect a neighborhood long beset by poverty, industrial pollution, and disinvestment to the city’s signature Riverwalk attraction, along the Tennessee River.

Trust for Public Land is spearheading the connector project, working closely with residents of Alton Park, which, according to “One Chattanooga,” has the second-worst health outcomes in the state. The plan calls for the conversion of a former rail line into a walking and bike path that will connect the neighborhood to more than 25 miles of trails. Crucially, the trail will also link the isolated community to a major tourism, commercial, and residential corridor.

In Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa, parks officials recently rededicated Union Park, a 51-acre greenspace that underwent extensive renovations, including to its iconic Rocket Slide, which was installed in 1971 amid the space-age mania. The park also offers residents an antique carousel, flower gardens, tennis courts, and charcoal grills.

While Des Moines is renovating historic greenspaces such as Union Park, officials are also trying to keep up with the times. In recent years, it has added disc golf courses and courts for pickleball, two sports whose popularity soared during the pandemic. Des Moines has also joined with state and local partners on an ambitious master plan for ICON Water Trails, which will activate 150 miles of rivers in central Iowa for kayaking, rafting, tubing, and fishing.

Then there is Lauridsen Skatepark. In 2021, Polk County, which includes Des Moines, opened an enormous skatepark in the city center. With 88,000 square feet, Lauridsen—billed as the biggest skatepark in the country—features a flow bowl, amoeba pool, and snake run. Last year, USA Skateboarding designated Lauridsen a “competition park,” meaning it can host international contests and events. Connie Boesen, the city’s mayor, expects the designation to boost tourism, drawing teenagers and young adults to the capital.

“We place great emphasis on our parks and try to make them unique and accessible to all our neighborhoods,” says Mayor Boesen. She cited affordability, transportation, and parks as key ingredients of a livable city. “It all goes together,” she added. “You want your people to have a good quality of life.”

Mayor Kelly of Chattanooga agrees: “Companies often tell us, that amenities like parks and trails are a significant factor in attracting and retaining employees.”