For Irvine resident Anna Protopappas, parks have always been more than just green space — they’re where her children grew up healthy and happy.
“They could get their energy out, run, get vitamin D — it’s the healthiest form of play,” she said. “Every child should have that.”
But for many Orange County families, that opportunity is out of reach.
While Irvine ranks second in the nation for parks, about half of Orange County’s cities — mostly in the north and central regions — fall below California’s standard of three acres of park space per 1,000 residents, raising concerns about equity, public health and quality of life.
Karen Lincoln, professor of environmental and occupational health at UC Irvine, said investing in parks means investing in people.
“If you say parks are a low priority, you’re saying people and health are low priorities,” Lincoln said in a phone interview.
In a Chapman University analysis, student journalists looked at regional differences in park access across Orange County and graded cities on parkland availability.
Editors’ Note: This dispatch is part of the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service, working with student journalists to cover public policy issues across Orange County. If you would like to submit your own student media project related to Orange County civics or if you have any response to this work, contact admin@voiceofoc.org.
Cities like San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel and Irvine topped the rankings, earning an A+ grade for exceeding 3.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Eight other south county cities also earned high marks.
But many older North Orange County cities — like Garden Grove and Stanton — ranked lower, some with less than one acre of parkland per 1,000 residents and few opportunities to add more.
The rankings revealed disparities rooted in history and planning.
Younger south county cities benefited from policies like the 1965 Quimby Act, which required developers to provide parkland or pay fees to fund recreation space.
Older north county cities were largely built before the law existed, leaving them with little land available for new parks, said Melanie Schlotterbeck, a conservation consultant at the nonprofit Hills For Everyone, which focuses on protecting open spaces.
“There’s not a lot of land left to set aside in older communities,” she said.
Credit: SUKHMAN SAHOTA, Voice of OC.
Credit: SUKHMAN SAHOTA, Voice of OC.
How Students Ranked Park Access
To compare cities across Orange County, Chapman University students developed a ranking system that gathered 2020 census data and parkland figures reported by city officials and staff members. Parks maintained by homeowners’ associations were excluded to ensure consistency.
Rankings were assigned based on park acreage per 1,000 residents:
- A+: 3.5 or more parkland acres
- A: Meets the state’s 3-acre standard
- B: Between 3.0 and 2.5 acres
- C: Between 2.5 and 1.0 acres
- D: Less than 1 acre
High-density cities can face challenges when limited land availability, combined with rapid population growth, leads to low park scores.
In cities where land is scarce, some communities are getting creative. Some people have turned rooftops or parking lots into gardens. Others have signed joint-use agreements with schools or partnered with businesses to use corporate spaces for weekend recreation.
For many north Orange County residents, access to green space hinges on decisions made decades ago — and whether today’s leaders have the creativity and will to fix it, said Schlotterbeck, with the nonprofit Hills for Everyone.
“Using land differently is something residents can push for,” she said.
How Cities Are Responding
Across Orange County, cities are taking very different approaches to the park shortage.
Some are finding ways to grow.
Fountain Valley, ranked with a B grade, is in the process of expanding its sports park and expects to meet the state standard within two years.
[Read: Fountain Valley Looks to Improve Sports Park With 16-Acre Expansion and Upgrades]
The city also leases an additional 65 acres of Mile Square Regional Park land from the county, which it has transformed into a community park featuring a community center, ball diamonds, basketball courts, outdoor play areas and a tennis court complex. In total, Mile Square Regional Park includes 607 acres of land managed by the county.
Tustin, ranked with a C grade, plans to add 30 acres of new parkland alongside upcoming developments within the next five years and recently secured a $5 million grant to create a joint-use park with a local elementary school, according to Tustin Director of Parks and Recreation Chad Clanton.
Orange, which earned a C grade, is developing a new District 3 park and plans to expand its trail network. In Cypress — also ranked C — officials have plans to enlarge Baroldi Sycamore Park by 88%.
Even Stanton — once with only 0.6 acres per 1,000 residents — has added 12 acres of new parkland and hopes to pursue a trail project that could add 24 acres of park space. With 0.99 acres of parkland per 1000 residents, Stanton earned a D grade.
Other cities are standing still.
Garden Grove and Anaheim have focused on maintaining aging parks instead of building new ones, according to documents each city provided.
Community outreach surveys in Garden Grove found that over half of the respondents were not satisfied with the existing facilities and maintenance. Garden Grove earned a D grade.
“Residents told us they want better equipment and amenities more than new parks,” said Garden Grove Community Services Director John Montanchez.
Garden Grove resident Truc Nguyen said the city needs to accommodate the growing population by implementing new parks.
“Expansion would be nice, especially [since this area is] getting really populated,” Garden Grove resident Truc Nguyen said in an interview on April 3. “ I don’t get why they don’t want to expand.
UCI researcher Lincoln said it is important for cities to not only prioritize expansion but also maintain and upgrade parks.
“If there’s no grass, if it’s not safe, if the equipment is old, that’s going to dissuade people from using the park,” Lincoln said in a phone interview on April 25.
Some cities are moving backward.
In Westminster — where only 1% of the city’s land is dedicated to parks and recreation, according to the Trust for Public Land — parkland has been sold to raise revenue.
The Westminster City Council quietly sold a 10,200 square foot portion of Liberty Park in 2016 to a nearby landowner, despite the city having one of the lowest park acreages in the county. There was no public hearing for the sale, drawing scrutiny about the legality of the transaction.
Legal investigations into the land sale are at a standstill and the privatized corner of the park remains off limits to residents.
“People used to use that little square when they wanted to be at the park but away from the hub and noise of the main park,” said resident Terry Rains, who is concerned about the city’s lack of transparency. “You take the city with the lowest parks, and then you sell it off?”
[Read: Will City Officials Ever Tell Westminster Taxpayers Why They Sold Off a Slice of Liberty Park?]
Chapman students ranked Westminster with a D grade.
Build Community, But Not Everyone Has Equal Access
Parks are more than recreational spaces, researchers have found. They’re essential to health, community and quality of life.
“Parks are noted to promote physical activity,” said Jason Douglas, professor of health, society, and behavior at UC Irvine. “[They] can help promote social ties within the community.”
But not everyone has equal access to open spaces. Public officials need to consider age, disability and cultural needs when designing parks, said UCI researcher Lincoln.
“In lower-income and minority neighborhoods, even when parks exist, safety and maintenance can be barriers,” she said.
When cities are unwilling to prioritize parks, it becomes problematic, Lincoln said.
“We do know that parks can be health-promoting and health-restorative, particularly if they pay attention to cultural differences, to age differences, to persons with disabilities and different sizes,” she said. “Just really being more accommodating for people and more inviting for people could be a good thing.”