Community Design – Park Access (ESRI)

Methodology

The percentage and number of people living within 0.5 miles of the boundary of a park was calculated by CARES. The population living within a 0.5 mile radius of any park boundary (buffer) was determined at the census block level using 2010 census block centroids. These figures were aggregated to census tract, county, and state levels. These estimates use population figures from the US Census Bureau 2010 Decennial Census. Park boundaries are acquired from a combination of sources, including ESRI’s USA Parks (2010), as well as OpenStreetMap (2013). Land feature types from these layers include: local parks, state parks and forests, national parks and forests, national monuments, and beaches. OpenStreetMap park features include some nature preserves, skate parks, and dog parks.