Houston spends less on parks than other cities
Houston’s parks department receives the least public funding on a per-resident basis among the nation’s 13 most populous cities, a Kinder Institute for Urban Research analysis found.
Houston Parks and Recreation Department spent $32 per resident on parks in recent years, compared to Dallas spending $121 per resident, San Antonio at $147 per resident, and Austin at $150 per resident, according to data submitted to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. There are over 600 public parks covering almost 43,500 acres of parks and green space. Houston Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for 377 parks on over 24,000 acres.
But, while Houston lags, 70% of the Houstonians surveyed by Rice University’s Kinder Institute said they would support paying the city an additional $24 per year if it meant more funding for parks and green space. And 51% of Houstonians said they would support paying as much as $60 per year.
Researchers — funded by the Kinder Foundation, the Cullen Foundation, and the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation — reported Houston makes up gaps in public funding with 11 other sources like municipal management districts and the county, as well as private sector donations.
Houston’s total dollar amount of private donations to city parks exceeds other large cities nationally except New York City, according to the analysis. Programs like the SPARK program and 50/50 Park Partners attracts private dollars. Even considering both private and public funding, per-resident funding at $94 in Houston lags behind Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.
Lower percentages of residents reported green space within a 5- to 7-minute walk between Loop 610 and Beltway 8, the survey showed. Meanwhile, respondents within the 610 loop and outside Beltway 8 reported having close access to parks at higher percentages.
Guy Hagstette, Kinder Foundation senior vice president of parks and civic projects, who presented the survey data at a community meeting, said the lack of green space between loops pertains to less attention toward parks in the latter half of the 20th century. The emphasis on green space returned with surburban development outside Beltway 8.
Near Northside resident Machell Blackwell said in the community meeting there was a need for greater parks funding and that she would use nearby Moody Park more if there was better lighting and security.
Isabel Vazquez is part of a Northline walking group that cleans up Clark Park. She said the park needs city attention and they have requested the city to repaint the rusting benches. They have offered to paint the benches themselves and sought city permission to do so.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and former mayors Bill White and Annise Parker said for the report the city had to rely on public-private partnerships for green space because of the revenue cap, which limits the property taxes Houston can collect each year, as well as other public funding priorities, like public safety.