The 25 U.S. cities with bragging rights to green spaces
Ever wonder how your U.S. hometown stacks up compared to others when it comes to green space? I was actually surprised, and certainly delighted, that a city I've often visited and reported on placed #1 by Pots, Planters & More.
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Their publicity team writes that,
"After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005, the process to rebuild itself included finding more sustainable building techniques while maintaining the character and appeal of the city. New Orleans boasts the high score of 73 thanks to a high volume of parks per 1,000 residents (71 acres), high spending on parks per 1,000 residents ($156), combined with good air quality (7.5 out of 10) and a comfortable average year-round temperature of 70 degrees. Efforts like these make the Big Easy the greenest city in the country." Note, please pronounce it right: "N'awlins".
Caveat: August in New Orleans feels like a sauna turned up to turbo-drive; it's not for the faint-hearted. (However, New Orleans has been through a lot, as has Louisiana post-BP oil spill as well as ongoing coastal erosion and deserves the love!)
Scoring was based on factors such as spending on parks, air quality, walkable park access, average annual temperature and median home price.
Also proudly showing their greenness were North Las Vegas at #2, Albuquerque (3) and Jacksonville (4).
Cities like Albuquerque and North Las Vegas as well as "Scottsdale (#24), Glendale (21), Las Vegas (18), Tucson (16) and El Paso (6)...must contend with arid, oftentimes unforgivingly dry climates. Similarly, cities located in the Great Plains and Midwest —Omaha (~20), Kansas City (19), Lincoln (13), Tulsa (12), and Oklahoma City (9) deal with sweeping winds and vast stretches of open land. Having green space provides much-needed shade and plants to help keep oxygen and moisture circulating. Green spaces in these cities is crucial to maintaining an enjoyable lifestyle that works with the environment."
While some spaces endure harsher winters than others, such as Madison, WI (#25), Philly (22) and Buffalo (10), nevertheless they tout a high percentage of green-space-to-resident.
Honolulu is a formidable #5, even though spending on green spaces doesn't have to be much there given its prime location, lush with tropical flora and fauna, surf and sun.
The top 25 in order are on the Pots, Planters & More website.
Photos: the author outside New Orleans, at Barataria Bay, La.; a bald cypress decorated with traditional Mardis Gras beads; the author in the Big Easy in August 2010
Sources:
The Trust for Public Land
Zillow
U.S. Climate Data
EPA
Caveat: August in New Orleans feels like a sauna turned up to turbo-drive; it's not for the faint-hearted. (However, New Orleans has been through a lot, as has Louisiana post-BP oil spill as well as ongoing coastal erosion and deserves the love!)
Scoring was based on factors such as spending on parks, air quality, walkable park access, average annual temperature and median home price.
Also proudly showing their greenness were North Las Vegas at #2, Albuquerque (3) and Jacksonville (4).
Cities like Albuquerque and North Las Vegas as well as "Scottsdale (#24), Glendale (21), Las Vegas (18), Tucson (16) and El Paso (6)...must contend with arid, oftentimes unforgivingly dry climates. Similarly, cities located in the Great Plains and Midwest —Omaha (~20), Kansas City (19), Lincoln (13), Tulsa (12), and Oklahoma City (9) deal with sweeping winds and vast stretches of open land. Having green space provides much-needed shade and plants to help keep oxygen and moisture circulating. Green spaces in these cities is crucial to maintaining an enjoyable lifestyle that works with the environment."
While some spaces endure harsher winters than others, such as Madison, WI (#25), Philly (22) and Buffalo (10), nevertheless they tout a high percentage of green-space-to-resident.
Honolulu is a formidable #5, even though spending on green spaces doesn't have to be much there given its prime location, lush with tropical flora and fauna, surf and sun.
The top 25 in order are on the Pots, Planters & More website.
Photos: the author outside New Orleans, at Barataria Bay, La.; a bald cypress decorated with traditional Mardis Gras beads; the author in the Big Easy in August 2010
Sources:
The Trust for Public Land
Zillow
U.S. Climate Data
EPA
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