Should DC Take Control of Federal Parkland in the City?

Image via Washingtonian

DC’s park system has long been a point of pride for the city—and for good reason. Washington is home to a number of world-class monuments. Nearly a quarter of the city’s land is considered green space. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land has ranked Washington’s park system as the best in the nation for three years running.

But beneath these flattering accolades sits a systemic problem, according to a recent report by the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. In the study, researchers conclude that the federal government’s ownership or management of nearly 90 percent of DC’s parkland has worsened the city’s inequities.