Parks, libraries and open spaces are popular across the country — and people want to keep them healthy and funded

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Lexington, Kentucky voters have approved a measure to fund capital projects for parks like Charles Young Park. Image credit: Shaun Ring / Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Public spaces, when high quality and well-maintained, enjoy broad support across different demographics and types of communities. From city playgrounds to public libraries to national parks, these shared spaces are critical social infrastructure for gathering, learning, connecting with nature and with each other.

They deliver great bang for the buck, as well — for example, Schenectady, New York officials have estimated their public parks provide economic benefits 8 times every dollar the city invests, while in Philadelphia nearly $100 in economic value was created for every dollar spent on park maintenance.

When given the chance to make their voices heard and their votes counted, people have consistently supported funding public assets, illustrating the demand for a robust public realm that’s well-resourced and maintained.

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Splash pads like this one in Charles Young Park are popular with both people and pups. Image credit: Shaun Ring / Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

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Town Branch Commons runs through downtown Lexington with bike and walking paths. Image credit: Frank Döring Photography / Gresham Smith

In Lexington, Kentucky, residents had the opportunity to directly weigh in on how their tax dollars could be used for their public spaces, when a proposal to create the first-ever dedicated fund for parks was on the ballot in November 2024.

The Parks Sustainable Funding ballot initiative was passed with 61% of the vote, which gives the city’s parks $8 million for capital project park improvements each year. The first round of park projects have been proposed for each council district in the city, demonstrating the wide impact of the new capital funds.

CivicLex reported the city will also prioritize projects that have been requested by the community for the initial round of funding — further showing the benefits when voters support responsive policy.

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Supporters of the New York Public Library advocate every year to restore funding cut during budget season. Image credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

Robust advocacy preserves funding for public assets

Despite their popularity, public libraries are frequently the first targets to have their funding slashed during budget negotiations.

In New York City, the three public library systems annually face a “seemingly perpetual and endlessly exhausting budget dance” to protest cuts in their funding, though they receive less than 0.4% of the city’s total $112 billion budget to serve millions of people.

Most recently, the libraries had $58.3 million in proposed cuts restored after intense public outcry and a publicity campaign that enlisted support from high-profile patrons like Sarah Jessica Parker.

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Rallies outside of New York’s City Hall to save library funding have become an annual ritual. Image credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

The expectation of public support for the libraries is baked into the political dealings — indeed, “cutting funding to public libraries is so unpopular that some observers suspect it’s merely a negotiating ploy” during the budget process, City & State New York reported.

The success of such campaigns to demand that oft-underfunded public libraries keep every cent demonstrates that people want their public assets to be maintained and available to their communities, and will make their voices heard.

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Portland residents prioritize maintenance of their parks over other services — and have made that clear to their city officials. Image credit: Susan Dalton

People are willing to forego other services, like additional police, to invest in parks

Even when there is no direct ballot proposal or legislation to vote on, voters can work in indirect ways to show their intentions to preserve the public realm.

Portland, Oregon’s residents steered their elected officials to prioritize community safety by redirecting $1.9 million in the 2025 budget from police recruitment funding to critical park maintenance.

The city’s budget originally called for nearly $10 million in parks maintenance cuts, threatening basic services like restroom cleaning, graffiti removal, and playground maintenance.

The budget cuts were largely unpopular — one poll conducted by local station KOIN found “42% of Portlanders approve cuts to the police bureau while 28% approve of cuts to parks.”

That public outcry was why Councilor Mitch Green told KATU he voted in favor of moving the funds.

“What I’m hearing from my constituency is that public safety begins with strong and healthy communities, and having well-maintained parks is the backbone of that,” Green said.

Voters who speak out about community priorities and protecting public assets can influence elected officials who are accountable to them.

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Both Republican and Democratic politicians in Georgia support the creation of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve. Image credit: Leah Yetter.

Support for public assets is bipartisan

Ensuring parks and public spaces are well-resourced is popular across the country and across the aisle. The bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act was unanimously passed in 2024 and allocates federal funding for a slew of public goods — from improving accessibility on trails to streamlining activity permitting, constructing bike paths and upgrading campgrounds.

The EXPLORE Act even funds the Every Kid Outdoors program that grants all fourth-grade students in America and their families free access to all national parklands for a year — an incredible opportunity to expose them to nature and wildlife in our shared public realm.

The widespread appeal of the outdoors is further demonstrated by the support for the proposed Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in Macon, Georgia which has united almost the entire Georgia delegation — Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock alongside Republican and Democratic House members. As Macon’s mayor pro tem Seth Clark told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “This legislation bringing together our delegation is the counter-programming to partisanship Georgians and frankly Americans deserve.”

When given the chance to show their values, people support parks, libraries and public spaces with their tax dollars and their voices — and the stewards of the public realm should honor that intention. Protecting and investing in our public spaces is the will of the people.