By Alejandra Molina – NextCity.org – Photo: kellinahandbasket | CC BY 2.0.
Photo: Chicano Park is a national historic landmark and beloved neighborhood spot, but the neighborhood is otherwise lacking in open space and trees, activists say.
In San Diego, the current park standard is solely based on acreage. The city has used a standard of 2.8 acres per 1,000 residents for neighborhood parks and joint use facilities. As the city continues to grow through infill development, with limited open land, the draft plan stresses how increasingly difficult it is to meet this “acreage-based standard.” The proposed park plan establishes a point system that values park features, instead of solely focusing on park acreage. Moving forward, the standard will instead be 12 points per 1,000 people, with points reflecting a range of recreation experiences.
