After years of unflattering scores on a national ranking of park systems ranking among the nation’s worst park systems, Nashville is slowly moving its way up the list.
In the latest survey by the Trust For Public Land, Nashville ranked 74 out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States — moving four spots higher than last year.
According to the Trust, park acreage and public investment are to thank for the improvement. Nashville raised how much it spends on parks to $116 per capita. That’s up $35 from last year, but still sits below the national average of $133 per capita.
Nashville’s median park size is 16.7 acres — significantly greater than the national average of 5.4 acres.
It’s the highest ranking the city has seen since 2020. That year, Nashville came in at 70th place — before falling to 86th, and even 93rd in subsequent years. In 2024, Nashville began to creep its way back up, and this year marks a continuation of that pattern.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has proposed another uptick in park spending for the upcoming fiscal year, but that budget is subject to adjustment by the Metro Council.
The survey also factors in things like park amenities, equity and access. Park equity assesses how and which parks are accessible to communities of different race and income makeups, while park access measures the percentage of residents who live near a dedicated green space.
Access has been a continual issue for Nashville — as of this year, only 44% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The national average is 76%. City officials have pushed back on this metric because of the sprawling size of Davidson County.
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