While Chicago is justly proud of its 7,400 acres of parks, these acres are far from evenly distributed. According to a 1990 Chicago Park District report, parkland near downtown, where the large lakefront parks are located, totals more than 41 acres for each thousand residents. On the densely settled west side, each thousand residents are served by only half an acre of park land. In Chicago, as in other cities across Illinois and the nation, it is essential to secure more parks and recreational opportunities for core city residents. This won't be easy.
Urban land is expensive, and open parcels are rare.
But opportunities do arise, and ways can be found to leverage scarce public funds. In 1991, the Chicago Park District with help from the Trust for Public Land snapped up 13 acres, a former railway property, as an addition to Senka Park on the city's crowded southeast side. It was the city's first investment in neighborhood park land in ten years. Chicago has now commissioned a new park plan, due out this spring. The plan will examine ways to create parks and increase opportunities for recreation.