Phoenix parks rank above-average among large American cities. KJZZ’s Peter O’Dowd reports on a scorecard released today from The Trust for Public Land.

PETER O’DOWD: Among the 40 largest US cities, Phoenix ranks 16th. The survey bases its findings on community access, park size, and spending. In Phoenix, the median park size is nearly 15 acres – that’s second best on the list. And just over 14 percent of the city is dedicated to park space. The Trust for Public Land’s Michael Patrick focuses on Arizona. He says Phoenix has kept up relatively well despite years of fast growth.

MICHAEL PATRICK: So to keep up with kind of growth puts a lot of stress on park systems, and so in light of that I think Phoenix’s ranking is quite remarkable.

O’DOWD: Still, less than half of the city’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The survey ranked Tucson and Mesa near the bottom of its list.