Out of 100 Cities Nationwide Mesa Parks Ranked In The Bottom 10

So, how’s our city’s park system, if it’s one of the 100 to appear in the index, rank? Better or worse than you expected? Where was there room for improvement?
Just released is a report for urban park systems in the country per the Trust for Public Land (TPL)’s annual ParkScore rankings, an index that ranks urban recreational spaces belonging to the 100 most populous American cities.
Residents of Mesa will have to scroll way down - to the bottom ten - to see how the city gets ranked.
The ParkScore® index measures how well the 100 largest U.S. cities are meeting the need for parks
http://parkscore.tpl.org/

The ParkScore methodology is based on three key criteria. Park Access uses advanced GIS mapping technology to determine how far a city’s residents must walk to access the nearest public green space. Park Size takes into consideration both the median size of a unit within an individual park system and the total amount of land within a city that’s dedicated to parks.

Finally, the Facilities and Investment category combines both a city's park spending per resident and the availability of a quartet of aforementioned park amenities: dog parks, playgrounds, basketball hoops and recreation/senior centers
.
Take a look at around 7 o'clock - for Mesa it's $28.6 Millions of dollars.

Mesa = 91 out of 100

While it’s true that a low ParkScore may yield a fair amount of hand-wringing for park officials in the cities that place close to the bottom of the list, the TPL sees the rankings — described as “the most comprehensive rating system ever developed to measure how well the 100 most populous U.S. cities are meeting their residents’ need for parks” — as a tool that poorly-ranked cities can use to help better themselves in key areas and, in turn, move up the list.
Link for Mesa >> http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Mesa

Explore an interactive map from this link

Park Facts:
Park acreage: 2,521 acres
People served per park acre: 183
Oldest municipal park: Pioneer Park, est. 1947
Largest municipal park: Red Mountain Park, 582 acres
Most-visited municipal park: Riverview Park


City Stats

• City area: 83,578 acres
• Median park size: 2.6 acres
• Park land as % of city area: 3.0 %
• Spending per resident: $69.96
• Basketball Hoops per 10,000: 2.6
• Dog Parks per 100,000 Residents: 0.4
• Playgrounds per 10,000: 1.4
• Recreation / Senior Centers
  per 20,000 Residents: 0.2
• Population density: 5.5 per acre

You can download Maps and tables here >> Access to Parks by Age and Income http://parkscore.tpl.org/ReportImages/Mesa_AZ.pdf

VIEW FULL RANKING ANALYSIS HERE
Using mapping technology and demographic data, we determined how well each city is meeting the need for parks.
You can learn more with in-depth city profiles …
… or compare multiple cities.
We scored cities in three categories. Learn more about the ParkScore^® methodology.

OTHER RESOURCES AND LINKS


New tool: http://gis.mesaaz.gov/ParkFinder/

http://www.mesaaz.gov/things-to-do/parks-recreation-commercial-facilities/parks

http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/office-of-management-budget/major-funds

How's that "Vision Thing" Going?

Back on September 11, 2014 the City of Mesa announced appointments to the Downtown Vision Ad-Hoc Committee. The Vision Committee’s work is to be concluded within approximately six months [end of March 2015]
http://apps.mesaaz.gov/news/ArticleView?id=44001

You can see the appointed members, and their qualifications by going to this link: http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/advisory-boards-committees/downtown-vision-ad-hoc-committee


The Downtown Vision Committee was asked to:

• Recommend a shared vision and broad goals to the Mesa Mayor and City Council that set a clear intention and direction for the long-term evolution of Downtown Mesa.
• Collaborate with key downtown partners and agencies that will contribute to the implementation of the shared downtown vision.
• Consider Downtown Mesa’s future opportunities, untapped urban growth sectors, barriers to success, and its existing and future market potential.
• Review existing plans and strategies and how to build on, reaffirm and prioritize those outcomes.

The first meeting took place on September 30, 2014 @ 4:04 p.m. and was off to a fast start!
You can look at all the committee agendas and minutes by clicking on this link: Downtown Vision Committee Agendas & Minutes

Don't Miss This Opportunity for Residents to Meet "The Decision Makers"

Help Make Downtown Mesa Your Downtown

A public notice posted on Thursday, February 19 @ 4:24 p.m. from The City of Mesa Office for Public Information and Communications - less than a week in advance of inviting residents to attend and contribute their ideas and contributions for the long-term evolution of downtown.