St. Paul's parks rank fifth-best in the nation
St. Paul's sprawling park system ranks fifth-best in the nation, down two spots from last year and two spots behind Minneapolis, according to the latest annual scorecard from the Trust for Public Land.
The capital city's parks have long landed in the top three of the 100 most populous cities surveyed, and losing some ground in this year's ParkScore Index is not for lack of public investment, said Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Minnesota State director with the nonprofit parks advocacy organization.
In fact, Minneapolis spends $324 per person on its park system, and St. Paul invests $248, both of which are well above the national ParkScore average of $133.
And, that investment is growing.
St. Paul voters went to the polls in November 2023 and approved a percentage point increase to the city's sales tax, which is expected to generate $1 billion over 20 years, including $246 million for parks. As more sales tax-funded projects come online, it's possible the city regains its perch in the top 3, Vorhoff said.
Washington, D.C., always a strong contestant, ranked first this year, as it did in 2024. Irvine, Calif., which came in second, was recognized for its progress on building one of the most ambitious municipal parks in the country — Great Park, which currently spans 500 acres, and will soon add 300 more.
Minneapolis fell a spot to third this year and Cincinnati — which renovated its downtown Lytle Park and engaged in a citywide effort to improve public access to schoolyards and other open spaces — came in fourth.
For the Twin Cities, 'the drop in rankings is really a reflection on other cities making investments and strides forward, rather than a lack of investment in the two cities,' Vorhoff said.
The Trust for Public Land is working with school districts to renovate outdated schoolyards into welcoming places that families can enjoy during non-school hours.
Five such projects are underway in Minnesota from Red Lake to Rochester, including the upcoming overhaul of St. Paul's Maxfield Elementary School playground on Victoria Street in the Old Rondo neighborhood.
Groundbreaking for that project — which drew students and community members together for planning — will take place in early June.
'There was a student-led class about what makes a great space for all,' Vorhoff said. 'From your 8-year-olds to your 80-year-olds, what makes a great space to play?'
Another group of playgrounds will be chosen next year.
Other parks projects moving forward in St. Paul include the upcoming opening of downtown Pedro Park at 10th and Robert streets, which has undergone $8 million in planning and construction, and the Wakan Tipi Center, a cultural and environmental learning center under construction within the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.
The center — led by Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, previously known as the Lower Phalen Creek Project — is 'a national model project, and it's exciting to see it moving ahead,' Vorhoff said.
New this year, the Trust for Public Land surveyed voters who supported Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in the last presidential election and found heavily similar attitudes toward public park space. In all, 80% of Harris voters and 83% of Trump voters described themselves as regular visitors to local parks and said they feel comfortable there. Two-thirds of both groups said they had struck up a conversation with a person they did not know at the park.
The National Survey on Outdoor Public Spaces was conducted by national pollster YouGov in March, and survey details are included in the new Trust for Public Land report 'Parks, The Great Unifiers.'
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