Fighting for a Better Park System
Tree planting
As the second-largest urban parks system in the United States, the City currently operates and maintains over 400 parks, three National Historic Landmarks, more than 200 miles of trails, and over 42,000 acres of parks and open space areas. The Parks and Recreation Department is not currently able to meet the maintenance and staffing requirements to sustain this vast system with its current level of funding.
A recent report commissioned by the City of San Diego showed that San Diego needs to invest a minimum of $200 million to make the repairs required to meet basic health and safety standards. This sum does not incorporate the millions required to meet current building code requirements, including upgrades that would modernize facilities so that they are universally accessible to individuals with disabilities.
What We’re Doing
The Parks Master Plan showed stark inequities in park access across the city. In August 2021, the San Diego City Council approved the Parks Masterplan which was developed with extensive community input and feedback. The plan revealed that many communities in San Diego remain park deficient, and the Parks and Recreation Department currently has inadequate funding to ensure every community has access to quality green space. Park operations and maintenance are funded through General Fund revenues, and from 2005 to 2019, the General Fund budget for parks declined nearly 33%. This lack of investment has impacted the quality of San Diego public spaces.
To address this systemic underinvestment in the infrastructure that brings people together, the San Diego Parks Foundation has teamed up with the San Diego Public Library Foundation to place a Citizen’s Initiative on the November 2024 ballot to create a long-term, sustainable funding source to ensure San Diego has the infrastructure necessary to create healthy and thriving communities. You can learn more about our advocacy efforts at LibrariesandParks4all.com.
Consultant: San Diego should spend $213M on park repairs and upgrades; 28 parks are in poor condition (sandiegouniontribune.com)