DPR Customer Service: (202) 673-7647
DPR Media Contacts: Gwendolyn Crump (202) 288-6027, [email protected]


(Washington, DC) – Washington, DC was recently recognized for having one of the best urban park systems in the nation. The Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) Center for City Park Excellence recognized D.C. with a top 11 ranking in 19 categories, while naming DC #1 in: High-Density City for Parkland Percentage and High-Density City for Parkland per 1,000 residents.

D.C.’s Top-Rankings included:

• #1 – High-Density City for Parkland Percentage
• #1 – High-Density City for Parkland per 1,000 residents
• #2 – Community Garden Plots per 1,000 residents
• #3 – Recreation and Senior Centers per 20,000 residents
• #4 – Percent of City Population with Walkable Park Access
• #4 – Swimming Pools per 100,000 residents
• #8 – Spending on Parks and Recreation by city
• #9 – Spending on Parks and Recreation per-resident
• #15 – Most-visited city parks per acre
• #19 – Basketball Hoops per 10,000 residents
• #22 – Off-Leash dog parks per 100,000 residents

DPR is particularly proud of TPL’s recognition that 97% of D.C. residents have access to a park within a ½ mile walk.

The Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Park Excellence annually releases its City Park Facts Report. TPL believes that residents, advocates, park professionals, planners, members of the media, decision-makers, and all those who love parks need solid data that elucidates the realities of urban park and recreation systems. The report is a collaboration between the many city, county, state and nonprofit parks agencies and conservancies.

To see how Washington, D.C. compares to other cities, click here for the full Center for City Park Excellence 2017 City Park Facts Report.

About TPL

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. The TPL’s Center for City Park Excellence works to make cities more successful through the renewal and creation of parks for their social, ecological, and economic benefits to residents and visitors alike. To achieve this mission, TPL believes that residents, advocates, park professionals, planners, members of the media, decision-makers, and all those who love parks need solid data that elucidates the realities of urban park and recreation systems. Data is knowledge, and knowledge is power.

About DPR

The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides quality urban recreation and leisure services for residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. DPR supervises and maintains area parks, community facilities, swimming pools and spray parks, and neighborhood recreation centers. The agency also coordinates a wide variety of recreation and educational programs including sports leagues, youth development, therapeutic recreation, aquatic programming, outdoor adventure, camping, and senior citizen activities. Adaptive programs and facilities are available for persons with disabilities.