Washington, D.C., has once again ranked as the nation’s top city for public parks, according to the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore index, notching first place for the sixth year in a row.
Simultaneously, the look of the nation’s capital is being upended by President Donald Trump’s beautification efforts, including renovations and proposed construction projects at several iconic national landmarks and public spaces, some of which are facing approval hurdles.
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The nonprofit found that 99% of D.C. residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, one of the highest access rates in the country. The city also spends $449 per capita annually on publicly accessible parks, a figure boosted in part by federal funding.
Parks and green spaces make up 21.5% of the District, which is home to 693 parks and green spaces overall. The Trust for Public Land scores park systems based on access, acreage, amenities, equity, and investment. Irvine, California; and Minneapolis came in second and third place, respectively.
“Parks help foster healthy, inclusive, and flourishing communities—the cities with the highest ParkScore ratings are healthier places to live,” the nonprofit said.
The ranking comes as the Trump administration’s “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful” task force has ramped up park restoration and beautification projects.
One of the city’s green spaces, Meridian Hill Park, has seen its towering fountains flowing again after a seven-year pause, prompting a surge in popularity. Logan Circle, another neighborhood park, is also slated to reopen in mid-June following repairs and renovations.
Other projects tied to the administration’s broader makeover efforts have drawn criticism and legal challenges. Plans to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and revamp East Potomac Park and its public golf course have sparked legal backlash from preservationists and advocacy groups.
Another project, the planned Triumphal Arch, has generated additional controversy as the Trump administration argues it does not need congressional approval to begin construction. Survey work on the project has already begun.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the proposal during a meeting last month with the Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts, which approved the project.
“President Trump believes that this year’s celebration of 250 years of American independence is the perfect moment to finally realize this long-standing, over-century-old vision, but yet unfilled vision, for Columbia Island,” Burgum said.
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Opponents of the arch have sharply disagreed with the administration’s legal argument that Congress had authorized such a project a century ago.
