Cities

The Atlanta Regional Commission, The Trust for Public Land, city of Atlanta and Cobb County have commissioned a $1.5 million study to create a new vision for the Chattahoochee River.

Newly released data from The Trust for Public land shows that public spending on parks in the 100 largest U.S. cities increased by 6% in 2018, from $7.1 billion in 2017 to $7.5 billion this year. Combined with $500 million from public/private park partnerships, total park spending totaled $8 billion in this last fiscal year. The 2018 City Park Facts report also reveals an increased investment in certain park features over the last year including a 22% increase in community gardens, a 69% increase in pickleball courts, and a 35% increase in splash pads. Still, there is significant work to be done to provide access to parks, as 30% of people do not live within a 10-minute walk of a park.