One Year In: Counting A Million Visitors In Los Angeles Parks

In Los Angeles, parks have long been places of solace and escape for residents of the notoriously dense city. During the summer of 2020, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks kicked off an extensive count program to understand how and when parks are being used.

Two Magnificent Parks, 21 Counters

In Runyon Canyon Park, 4 Urban Post PYRO counters were installed near 3 principle gate entrances to understand how people enter and exit the park, in addition to estimating the total number of users. In Griffith Park, 17 Recycled Post PYRO people counters were discreetly installed around the park.

Before launching their count program, park managers never really knew how many people used the park. Estimates about how visitors were entering and exiting were based on anecdote and managers could only guess how many people were in the park at one time.

As soon as the counters were installed, the team set up an extensive data dashboard in Eco-Visio – Eco-Counter’s interactive data analysis platform - to capture baseline volumes and trends from both parks in a click of a button. The Department was most interested in daily counts, previous day counts and monthly averages, in addition to usage trends across different access points.

Robust Data—One Year Later

One year into their count program, what have park managers learned about how and when the parks are used?

Both Runyon Canyon and Griffith parks are more visited on the weekend than during the week. On Saturday and Sunday, the bulk of visitation happens between a 9am and noon peak. During the week, visitation is more spread out throughout the day, including an evening peak as people get into the park after work. On a month-to-month basis, volumes have only varied slightly in the past year due to LA’s consistently warm climate.

Visitation is not even around the park, with park managers reporting significantly higher use in certain tourist areas, such as the Griffith Observatory and the Greek Theatre. Count data now provide an objective understanding of how many more resources are needed in these areas for trash collection, graffiti removal and general staffing. The data team and park operations and maintenance team work hand in hand, collaborating to enable a data-driven approach to park planning and management.

With count data in hand, park managers are adapting today’s park for tomorrow, ensuring that parks continue serve as an essential space for people well into the future.