How to Get Started

Want to find out more about the quality of your park and recreation center and the conditions in your neighborhood? Explore the (6) maps included in the DPR EDT here! To view the different maps, CLICK on the title below the map.

For ATL Parks Map

• To find your park or neighborhood, you can either SEARCH using the magnifying glass icon on the map or ZOOM in on the map to click directly on the park shape.
• After you click the park shape, you will see a pop-up appear on the map with icons shown at the top. Click on the top right icon showing a square with a plus sign to SELECT the park.
• Now, we can see the gear dials change to reflect our selection! On the left, you will see the total park need score. On the right, you will see the scoring breakdown of the (4) categories that make up the total need score.
• To view a different park, make sure to unselect everything before you make a new selection. To do this, simply CLICK BOTH X's on the pop-up and top left of the map.

For ATL Rec Centers Map

• CLICK on the title below the map. Then, CLICK on the (2) buttons that say REC to switch the gear dials over from Parks to Rec Centers.
• Follow the same process as for the ATL Parks Map.

For Community Need, Level of Service, and Community Perception

• CLICK on the title below the map. NOTE: For these maps, you will NOT use the gear dials or make any selections.
• Simply CLICK anywhere on the map and a pop-up will appear with the raw score for that census tract (depending on which map you are viewing).

For Health Map

• CLICK on the title below the map. NOTE: For the Health Map, you will need to use the LAYERS icon to isolate the different datasets. Make sure you only have one layer visible at a time.
• CLICK the LAYERS icon to the top right of the map (looks like stacked paper) to see all the available data sets.
• CLICK the “EYE” icon in the dropdown list to see and unsee the different layers.
• Simply CLICK anywhere on the map and a pop-up will appear with the score for that census tract (depending on which layer you have selected).

What's Included in the DPR EDT?

The DPR Equity Data Tool includes six data maps and Need Scores for each park and rec center evaluated. The Need Scores are comprised of four scoring categories that are used to assess Atlanta's parks and rec centers. All the scores for each of these categories are normalized on a scale of 1-5 and added together to produce total park and recreation need scores.

Total Park Need Score (300 points max) includes

• Physical Conditions = 125 points max. Includes Site Evaluation Data + Capital Improvement Funding data through 2010.
• Level of Service = 50 points max. Includes Park Access + Acreage data from Activate ATL analysis.
• Community Need = 100 points max. Includes data on social determinants of health.
• Community Perceptions = 25 points max. Includes data from Activate ATL Statistically Valid Survey.

Range of scores for Total Park Need

• 198 - 242 (Red, High Need)
• 180 - 198 (Orange, Moderate High Need)
• 160 - 180 (Yellow, Moderate Low Need)
• 90 - 160 (Green, Low Need)

Maps Included

• The ATL Parks Map shows the total need score for each park evaluated across Atlanta.
• The ATL Rec Map shows the total need score for each rec center evaluated across Atlanta.
• The Community Need map visualizes the community need score for each Atlanta census tract. Community need is evaluated by adding composite scores of 10 indicators that are used to measure several neighborhood environmental determinants of health, which include: concentration of vulnerable age groups, racial and ethnic diversity, income and educational disparities, vulnerable housing conditions, level of public safety, transportation environments, environmental health, street connectivity, food environment, and life expectancy.
• The Community Perception map shows Atlantan's perspectives of their parks and recreation system by maintenance district using 5 metrics from questions in the 2020 Activate ATL statistically valid survey: park and recreation needs, reasons discouraging use of parks, quality of parks and recreation activities and events, physical condition of parks and recreation, and greatest park concerns.
• The Level of Service map evaluates greenspace acreage and access by census tract. Access is calculated as the percentage of households that can access a park within a half-mile.
• The Health map is comprised of 16 metrics from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS): Life expectancy, asthma, high cholesterol, COVID-19 risk, mental health, stroke, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic kidney disease (health outcomes); physical inactivity, smoking, sleep less than 7 hours, and binge drinking (health behaviors).

Learn more

View our full Methodology Report to explore our process for developing the tool and to see the complete list of indicators incorporated into the tool. Please feel free to share your feedback by emailing [email protected].