2009 City Survey
The City Survey measures San Franciscans' opinions about public services they experience every day- streets, parks, Muni, libraries, public safety, and schools -and other characteristics of the City's quality of life, such as access to computers and the Internet.
Click here to read the complete survey. The parks section begins on page 5-1.
HIGHLIGHTS:
This year RPD scored a B-, up from a C+ in 2007, and positive ratings for City parks and recreation programs improved in every category measured. This is wonderful news--many congrats to the Department!
Other positive highlights for parks included:
- Positive ratings for the quality of park grounds rose from 57% in 2007 to 66% in 2009. We already know how hard the maintenance staff works to make the parks shine--it's great to see them rewarded with higher ratings!
- Residents who visit parks more frequently are more likely to offer positive evaluations of the City’s parks and recreation programs.
- Regular usage of City parks is at its highest level since 2002 when residents were first asked about park visitation.
- 85% of San Francisco residents with children ages 5 or younger have used a City park frequently in the past year (59% at least once a week, 27% at least once a month.)
- Residents of Districts 6, 10, and 11 were less likely to visit parks at least once a month.
Other reports from SF Office of the Controller:
FY 2008-09 Parks Annual Report
In December 2009, the City Controller released a report showing that 84.8% of SF public parks received ‘A’ or ‘B’ grades. The report did find that some of the lower performing parks were in District 10, in the southeast portion of the city. NPC looks forward to partnering with the neighborhoods and RPD in 2010 to address inequities. To read the full report, visit http://co.sfgov.org/
FY 2007-08 Parks Annual Report
This report, released February 3rd, provides the results from inspections of all open City parks in fiscal year (FY) 2007-08. It also discusses RPD's efforts to use the standards and results to inform operational decisions, and includes recommendations to improve the City's performance in these areas.
The Controller found that City parks performed better in this year's ratings. The citywide average was 86.2 percent, up from 83.7 percent in last year's ratings. Differences between district scores decreased, with 8.8 percentage points separating the City's highest (District 9) and lowest (District 10) scoring districts, better than the 18.1 percentage point difference last year. The report provides six recommendations for RPD to improve the parks standards program and incorporate park inspection results into operational planning. Click here to read individual park grades. Click here to read a letter about the report from Deputy Director Meredith Thomas.
Park Users Survey (2007)
The park survey conducted by RPD in April 2007 was intended to: measure the park user experience on site, characterize San Francisco City park users, provide data on typical park usage patterns, and assess the park maintenance standards against the public’s perception. The survey was administered in 29 City parks and completed by more than 1,300 park users, a cooperation rate of 53 percent. To read the full survey, click here, or read highlights below.
Specific pages of interest:
- Page 16 shows that residents of some supervisorial districts are much more likely than others to visit parks in their own district. The opposite is also true – for example, residents of Districts 3, 6, and 11 are significantly less likely than other survey respondents to visit parks located in their own districts.
- To see a map of park restrooms that need improvement, go to page 28.
- Page 32 maps the percentage of park users that believe safety should be improved in their parks.
SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
Demographic profile of park survey respondents
• Eighty-four percent of survey respondents were San Francisco residents. Among them, 54 percent have lived in the City for ten years or longer, compared to an estimated one-third of the San Francisco population.
• Almost half (48 percent) were between age 30 and 44.
• Of survey respondents who described themselves as one race or ethnicity, 57 percent said they were white, 18 percent said they were Asian or Pacific Islander, 15 percent said they were Hispanic or Latino, and 4 percent said they were African American.
• Sixty-two percent had incomes of $50,000 or more, and two-thirds had four years of college, an undergraduate degree, or graduate or professional education, compared to 53 percent of San Franciscans.
Park usage patterns
• Sixty percent of park users visit the park at which they were surveyed once a week or more during the dry season (April-October). During the rainy season, 50 percent of visitors visit that frequently.
• Sixty-three percent of surveyed users report visiting other City parks at least once a month.
• The most common reason park users give for visiting a park is to relax (32 percent), followed by using a children’s playground (26 percent) and to walk or jog (22 percent).
• A large majority (65 percent) of users said they choose a park because of the convenience of its location and most users either drive (44 percent) or walk (46 percent) to the park. Only 6 percent said they use Muni to get to the park while 3 percent take their bike.
• Thirty-seven percent of users report spending between one and two hours on site when they visit a park.
• Thirty percent of survey respondents were visiting with family members, 27 percent were accompanied by friends and 15 percent were walking a pet.
Park experience ratings
• Most respondents rated parks as excellent (43 percent) or good (44 percent), while 14 percent gave their park a “fair” rating (12 percent) or a poor/very poor rating (2 percent).
• Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they felt very safe during their park visit while only 6 percent felt unsafe or very unsafe.
• Among park features that need improvements, availability of restrooms (30 percent) and condition of restrooms (23 percent) were the most frequently cited, followed by general cleanliness (18 percent).
Parks, Streets & Sidewalks Report (2006-2007)
Includes Controller's Office ratings of each park, showing percentage compliance with City Park Standards (see pages 7-11 of report)
