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Indicator: Acres of Urban Parks and Open Space

Data and Data Discussion provided by King County Benchmark Program

Acres of Urban Park and Open Space Per Thousand Urban Residents

Figure 2: King County Urban Parks and Open Space by Sub-Area (2006)

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Land Use --- The data for this indicator was taken from a snapshot study of King County.  
  •   Planned Density --- From 1996-2000 to 2002-2004, residential densities increased in King County. The 2004 density of 6.4 lots per acre for King County as a whole exceeds the benchmark of six lots per acre.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Housing Affordability by City --- Homes prices have increased at a greater rate than incomes over the last two decades, making home ownership less affordable. However, rents have increased at a slower rate, generally in line with median household incomes.  (view data graph)
  •   Prevalence of Overweight & Obese Adults --- The proportion of King County adults who are overweight and obese continues to climb. • The combined percent of overweight and obese adults has increased in each of the four regions of King County since 1994.  (view data graph)
  •   Perceived Neighborhood Safety --- The average level of perceived neighborhood safety among King County residents in 2007 was not significantly different from 2001. Levels of perceived safety are not equal among regions or different populations.  (view data graph)
  •   Freshwater Habitat Index --- Overall freshwater quality in King County is below standards except for lakes. These findings are based on 2007 monitoring results for rivers, streams, groundwater, and lakes. Of the total sampled stream sites in King County in 2006-07, 45 percent were considered moderate to high water quality, and 55 percent were rated to be of high concern. This was a decrease in the number of sites considered moderate to high water quality from previous years.   (view data graph)
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Related Goals

The availability and quality of parks directly correlate to the livability of communities. The creation and maintenance of parks and open space areas require enlightened land use practices and forethought.

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Sustainability Snapshot:

Urban parks and open space give city dwellers a place to breathe, relax, play, walk their dogs, have picnics, and hold community gatherings. Open spaces provide urban wildlife habitat and drainage for local streams. It would be hard to call a city sustainable if it didn’t have enough open space to meet its citizen’s needs. As a rough guideline, the National Recreation and Park Association recommends a ratio of 10 acres per thousand urban residents of "close to home" park space and a ratio of 15.2 acres per thousand for "Regional Space”.

Sustainability Trend:

Following a dip in the late 1990's, there has been an increase in urban parks and open space acreage per King County resident over the last 10 years. In 2006, the urban area of King County had about 15 acres of park or open space for every thousand residents, a slight decrease from 2005.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Change in park/open space acreage per thousand residents.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

While urban and open space in King County has increased 17% since 1998, expansion has slowed over the last five years. As the urban population of King County continues to grow, demand for accessible park space will increase.

In 2004, King County owned 24,455 acres of parks and open space throughout the county. This acreage includes Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, Marymoor Park, and Tolt MacDonald Park, among others.

The rapid increase in population during the late 1990s caused a temporary decline in the number of acres per thousand residents, but as population growth has leveled off, the urban region has regained a healthy ratio of parks to residents.

The sub-areas differ considerably in the amount of parks and open space per resident. The rural cities have an abundance of park land per resident. The Eastside and unincorporated urban areas also have generous amounts of parkland. SeaShore and South County have considerably less acreage in parks and open space that the east and rural areas.

Data Source and Limitations

Data provided by King County jurisdictions and the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.  Revisions in reported park acreages may be due to improvements in data tracking.

Primary data sources include King County Jurisdictions, King County Parks and Recreation; National Park and Recreation Association; and the Washington Stat Office of Financial Management. 

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