East Multnomah County’s position at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge assures some of the most jaw-dropping views around.

Its local parks and open spaces are equally picturesque.

But how much parkland and open space is enough for a city?

The national standard, created in the early 1960s, used to be 10 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents. However, that changed in the 1990s when the National Recreation and Park Association suggested that each city create its own standards to reflect growth patterns, said Bill Beckner, the association’s research director, in a Jan. 2014 article on Tampabay.com

Beckner said the reason for the change was it had become impossible for many smaller built-out cities with no more room for growth to meet the 10-acres-per-1,000 standard. On the flip side, cities that surpassed the standard saw their citizenry balk when the cities tried to acquire more parkland. Now many cites set their own guidelines.

So how do the cities in East Multnomah County measure up?

Gresham  — This city of approximately 109,400 people has 29 parks plus an arts plaza and a historic farm spanning nearly 350 acres. It also boasts 840 acres of natural areas and has jurisdiction of 8 miles of trails.. That’s about 3.2 acres of parkland per 1,000 people, or 7.7 acres of natural areas per 1,000.

Troutdale — Nestled along the scenic Sandy River, Troutdale has 16 developed parks, six greenways, three natural areas and a canyon. Park lands total 90 acres with 153 acres of greenways. With about 16,500 residents, that’s about 5.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 people and more than 9 acres of natural areas per 1,000.

 Fairview — This town of about 9,200 people has 24 city parks including a charming network of pocket parks in Fairview Village plus two large regional parks totaling approximately 350 acres of parkland and open space. That adds up to a whopping 38 acres of parkland and open space per 1,000 residents.

Wood Village — A small hamlet of nearly 4,000 people, Wood Village has one 21-acre park as well as 25 community garden plots all within one-square mile. This is roughly 5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.

Each city has its own parks department that maintains parks within city limits.  General fund dollars from property taxes fund parks, although park system development charges, intergovernmental revenue and grants also help out.  Some cities, like Troutdale, also have a park improvement fund to expand parks and greenways. Money for Troutdale’s park improvement fund comes from system development charges paid by new residential development and interest income.

The Springwater District believes all residents should have access to these parks and open spaces to enjoy the trails, picnic areas, and other recreational opportunities.

But given increasing shrinking city parks budgets, we question whether this is the best way to fund and care for public land. A special district could provide more stable and efficient funding, without additional layers of bureaucracy.  That is what The Springwater District would like to explore.