BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Park walkability
Dig deeper
Looking ahead
The dip between 2018 and 2019 reflects PARD’s improved data collection methodology, which started measuring barriers of urban environment walkability.
Much of PARD’s parkland acquisition and new park development projects are strategically cho- sen and advanced to decrease the walk residents have to parks, Machamer said. A half-mile walk is about 10 minutes and considered to be the standard for parks when yielding a quality-of-life impact, city of Austin data states. District 7 council member Mike Siegel said farther North Austin corners such as Tech Ridge have a “real need” for amenities such as parks and pools. “These areas that have been more recently incorporated [into Austin] don’t have the same access to the city services,” Siegel said.
PARD is nearing the end of its 2018 bond funding, Machamer said, and is collaborating with city officials to plan for a potential November 2026 bond. “I do know there’s a lot of competing priorities across the city, so that’s just a challenge in terms of prioritizing work,” Machamer said. In the meantime, Alter, formerly representing District 10, said the next two years could be “really challenging” with making further park and trail investments as HB 1526 comes into play and PARD awaits the new bond.
Percentage of residents within park walking distance
70% 80% 60% 50% 40% 0%
2025
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
• January Community engagement plan, working groups established • February-June Bond task force gathers data, presents initial report to council • August-September Community input events held • October-November Community feedback integrated into projects, rankings • July Project scoping, cost estimating begins
Austin park accessibility, 2023
Offering input
Percentage of people living within a 10-minute walk Low income (less than 75% MAI*) 70% Medium income (75%-125% MAI) 68% High income (over 125% MAI) 69% Youth (under 20) 68% Adults (20-64) 70% Seniors (over 64) 67% Data from Parkserve, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing parkland access, shows which demographics live within a 10-minute walk to a park in Austin.
Data from ParkServe—which tracks and maps park access across the United States—indicates 671,072 Austin residents are served by parks. Of that, only 449,618 seniors over 64 and 456,328 medium-in- come residents had access, the lowest out of the groups. Investing in parks and trails can address climate issues, promote health and youth recreation, and tie the community together, Siegel said. “If you have access to the basic needs of life within 15 minutes, that’s going to be a much better quality of life,” Siegel said. “The more we can get around without our cars, the more likely we’re going to stop into a store or a restaurant in the neighbor- hood instead of driving somewhere further.”
2026
• January-April Working groups present recommendations • May-June Bond task force final report presented, reviewed by council • July-August Council calls for a bond election
• November Bond goes before voters
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
*AUSTIN’S MEDIAN AREA INCOME, OR MAI, WAS $122,300 IN 2023. SOURCE: PARKSERVE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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