FRICK PARK’S CLAYTON TRAIL IN THE FALL | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

The City of Pittsburgh often touts its extensive parks system to prospective residents and visitors — the mostly wooded Frick, Riverview and Hays Woods parks; Schenley Park, with its athletic facilities, skating rink, pool and other amenities; Emerald View Park atop Mount Washington; and the popular walking path around the reservoir at Highland Park.

In fact, there are 239 parks within the city borders.

Now a national organization has ranked Pittsburgh City Parks at No. 15 among the 100 top cities in 2025. That’s a leap of 24 points from just 2016 and 2017, when the city’s parks ranked at No. 39.

Where it ranks highest is the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park — 94%, says Catherine Qureshi, president and CEO of the nonprofit Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

“That was very special for us,” she says.

Where it rated a little lower was the percentage of city land dedicated to parks — 12%, compared to the 21% of Washington D.C., which topped the ranking by Trust Public Land, a 53-year-old nonprofit based in Los Angeles.

The Trust Public Land annually evaluates each park on a number of categories: what percentage of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park, what percentage of a city’s total land is dedicated to public parks, how much financial support is provided, types of amenities, number of dog parks, etc.

In addition to Washington D.C., the Top 10 cities included Irvine, California; Minneapolis; Cincinnati; St. Paul, Minnesota; San Francisco; Arlington, Virginia; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; and Denver.

“We’re really pleased with the recognition but it’s not a victory lap,” Qureshi says. “It’s sort of almost more prescriptive of what can we keep doing, so it’s something we want to learn from.”

Pittsburgh received a total score of 70, compared with 85.5 for the top-ranked Washington D.C. The nation’s capital spends $393 per capita for parks from a combination of public-private sources and No. 2 Irvine spends $681 per capita for its parks. Pittsburgh’s per capita is $176.

Qureshi says her organization — which works with the Citiparks and Public Works departments and many volunteers to help maintain and improve the parks — tries to “activate” the smaller parks to keep residents engaged. For example, the conservancy sponsors several educational programs at the August Wilson Park, which is just down the street from the childhood home of the noted playwright in the Hill District.

“It’s a really wonderful park, and the conservancy did a capital project there back in 2014…a playground, basketball court, artwork,” she says. Now the conservancy returns each year to run horticulture, forestry and other educational programs.

The conservancy also has been pursuing several projects with proceeds from a special parks tax approved in a ballot referendum by city voters in 2019. Since 2021, it has generated about $1 million a year for new parks projects, Qureshi says. The funds have helped refurbish Allegheny Commons park on the North Side with new benches, lighting, pathways and trash receptacles.

The Sensory Classroom, which just opened at the Frick Environmental Center in Squirrel Hill to make access to the parks more inclusive, also was a beneficiary of the parks tax, she says.

VALLEY REFUGE SHELTER IN RIVERVIEW PARK | COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY

The conservancy is currently partnering with the city in a $340,000 rehab of the Valley Refuge Shelter in Riverview Park in Observatory Hill. It’s one of the most popular and frequently rented shelters in the city’s park system, according to conservancy spokesperson Alana Wenk. It was built as part of the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s. In addition to shoring up the stone masonry and other improvements, the rehab includes restoring the bathrooms and a water fountain.

Restoration of the Valley Refuge Shelter has been a top priority for the Friends of Riverview Park.

Following that project, the conservancy will turn its attention to continued renovation of Mellon Park in the East End, Qureshi says.

“What really comes out loud and clear is that it’s a joint effort,” Qureshi says about the new report. “It’s not just the Parks Conservancy and our staff, but it’s volunteers, it’s donors, it’s park users, it’s advocates.”