Using GIS to Analyze Park and Recreation Needs

The East Bay Regional Park District manages more than 97,000 acres in Alameda and Contra Costa counties of Northern California, including 65 regional parks and 29 regional trails. The district’s core mission, along with the conservation of land, is to provide recreational facilities to the public. To determine the status of how well existing recreation facilities are serving the public, public opinion and GIS analysis were used. Accessibility for each recreation type, such as open space, playgrounds, and camping grounds, was visualized and the accessibility per capita was calculated across the district’s jurisdiction. Just one of a series, this map illustrates where there is a need for parks with open space or, in other words, where there is a deficit of accessible park district open space facilities per capita. The GIS can also show how adding proposed facilities would change the level of need.

Courtesy of East Bay Regional Park District.