Sydney’s parks provide plenty of satisfaction

Residents, visitors and workers have ranked the City of Sydney’s parks in top position across NSW as locations for exercise, socialising, and relaxing in an independent survey.

The Benchmark Park Users Satisfaction Survey scored the City’s network of parks in prime position with consistently high levels of satisfaction among nine other councils reviewed.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said this year’s survey revealed top scores for the City’s parks with special praise for maintenance and facilities.

Commenting on the findings, Lord Mayor Moore stated “these terrific results are a credit to our parks staff who work extremely hard to keep our parks in pristine condition.

“From dog walking, picnicking, socialising and children’s play, the City works to make sure our parks meet everyone’s needs.”

There are more than 400 large, medium and pocket parks and open spaces across the City of Sydney local government area, including the award-winning Redfern Park and Paddington Reservoir Gardens.

The surveys were conducted in open spaces, including Hyde Park, Pirrama Park, Alexandria Park, Turuwul Park and Arthur McElhone Reserve. Respondents rated their level of satisfaction across 24 park elements such as play equipment, rubbish bins, tree health, grass quality, pathways and signs.

City of Sydney Manager Greening and Leisure, Joel Johnson, said the surveys provide valuable community feedback on areas of parks that are working well, and identified where improvements can be made.

Johnson explained “this valuable information assists park planners and landscape architects to ensure that Sydney’s parks meet the recreational needs of our diverse community.

“It also allows us to monitor how successful new park designs, facilities and upgrades have been with our community, and they paint a fantastic picture of park use over time.

“At Wentworth Park in Glebe we used this feedback to make important changes after the surveys revealed visitors had concerns about safety and security.

“The City made major changes in response, including improving lighting, reorienting pathways, and repositioning the play area into a less shaded area of the park. Visitor satisfaction has rated highly in the surveys since this work was completed, with people now very happy to use this park at all times.”

Visitors to Arthur McElhone Reserve recorded high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of park maintenance. The garden beds, trees, lawns, fish ponds and absence of litter and graffiti rated particularly high, and the reserve achieved an overall satisfaction rating of 9.3 out of 10.

21st March 2014 - NEW SYDNEY PLAYGROUND LETS IMAGINATIONS RUN WILD

29th November 2013 - NSW GOVERNMENT REPORT FINDS STATEWIDE LOSS OF PARKS AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACE

12th November 2013 - CITY OF SYDNEY’S POOLS, PARKS AND LANEWAYS WIN AT DESIGN AWARDS

14th February 2012 - REVITALISED FOLEY PARK JUST WHAT THE DR. ORDERED

28th December 2011 - FOUNDATION CHIEF URGES AUSTRALIANS TO MAKE THE MOST OF ‘PARKS FOR PEOPLE’

10th May 2011 - PARKS ESSENTIAL FOR HUMAN HEALTH

19th April 2010 - HEART FOUNDATION SLAMS COUNCIL ‘SWEAT TAXES’

16th April 2010 - PARKS A KEY TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

27th June 2008 - PARKS FORUM HIGHLIGHTS VALUE OF PARKS

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