PARD’s annual report shows progress toward providing equitable access to parks

City parks in the U.S. may historically get the short end of the stick during budget allocations, but Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department continues working on its 2030 long-range plan with a fair amount of success.

According to the department’s 2024 annual report, released May 5, PARD has made notable strides while also acknowledging ongoing challenges. Guided by the strategies outlined in its long-range plan, the department is currently focused on five key goals:

• Providing parks as a respite from urban life
• Expanding park access for all residents
• Enhancing urban public spaces
• Aligning programs with community interests
• Optimizing operations and improving efficiency

Achieving these goals in a growing city will require a certain amount of agility as PARD tries to keep up with the high demand for park space.

“The impact of Austin’s rapid growth is becoming apparent as Austinites increasingly confront the loss of natural areas and increased development,” the report states. While the growth offers PARD new resources and opportunities, the department must still be mindful that parks exist to provide relief from the “increasingly urban context,” the report continues, adding that at the same time, the department understands the need to make parks more flexible to support a greater intensity and wider range of park users.

One of PARD’s greatest challenges is beyond the department and the city’s purview – the lasting consequences of House Bill 1526, which hamstrung PARD’s ability to administer parkland dedication fees and fees in-lieu. The new city ordinance, adopted to comply with the law passed in 2023, reduces and caps the fees paid by developers. Previously, PARD was able to collect payment once the site plan was approved; now, those funds are delayed until the time of certificate of occupancy, the report states.

Still, PARD states that equitable access to parkland remains a priority, with a goal of ensuring residents in the urban core have access to a park within a five-minute walk, and within a 10-minute walk for residents outside the urban core. The department’s long-range plan on that score includes a number of strategies, including forming partnerships with Austin Independent School District to develop button parks, or mini-parks, for children and families; acquiring easements on private property, expanded trail connections, improved wayfinding, and finally, greater sensitivity to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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