This dataset provides locations of open spaces in London identified by research and data analysis as Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), based on the definition below and available data in 2017. This is not a fully comprehensive dataset and is based on multiple sources of information. Subsequent versions will provide updates as more information becomes available. Read more here.

The dataset has been created by http://www.gigl.org.uk" target="_blank">Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL). GiGL mobilises, curates and shares data that underpin our knowledge of London’s natural environment. We provide impartial evidence to enable informed discussion and decision-making in policy and practice.

GiGL maps under licence from the https://www.london.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Greater London Authority. Research for this dataset has been assisted by https://www.theguardian.com/cities" target="_blank">The Guardian Cities team.

Data sources

Boundaries and attributes are based on GiGL’s http://www.gigl.org.uk/our-data-holdings/open-spaces/" target="_blank">Open Space dataset, which is a collated dataset of spatial and attribute information from various sources, including: habitat and open space survey information provided to GiGL by the GLA and London boroughs, borough open space survey information where provided to GiGL or available under open licence, other attribute information inferred from field visits or research. Available open space information has been analysed by GiGL to identify POPS included in this dataset. Future updates to the GiGL Open Space dataset will inform future, improved releases of the POPS dataset.

Definition

For the purposes of creating the dataset, POPS have been carefully defined as below. The definition is based on review of similar definitions internationally and appropriateness for application to available London data.

Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS): publicly accessible spaces which are provided and maintained by private developers, offices or residential building owners. They include city squares, atriums and small parks. The spaces provide several functional amenities for the public. They are free to enter and may be open 24 hours or have restricted access arrangements. Whilst the spaces look public, there are often constraints to use.

For the Greater London dataset no consideration is taken as to a site’s formal status in planning considerations, and only unenclosed POPS are included.

POPS may be destination spaces, which attract visitors from outside of the space’s immediate area and are designed for use by a broad audience, or neighbourhood spaces, which draw residents and employees from the immediate locale and are usually strongly linked with the adjacent street or host building. These spaces are of high quality and include a range of amenities. The POPS may also be a hiatus space, accommodating the passing user for a brief stop only – for example it may include seating but few other amenities, a circulation space, designed to improve a pedestrian’s journey from A to B, or a marginal space, which whilst a public space is not very accommodating and experiences low levels of usage. (Ref: Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience, by Jerold S. Kayden, The New York City Department of City Planning, and the Municipal Art Society of New York, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2000).

NOTE: The boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping and the data is published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'.

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2017.

Introduction The GiGL Open Space Friends Group subset provides locations and boundaries for selected open space sites in Greater London. The chosen sites represent sites that have established Friends Groups in Greater London and are therefore important to local communities, even if they may not be accessible open spaces, or don’t typically function as destinations for leisure, activities and community engagement*. Friends Groups are groups of interested local people who come together to protect, enhance and improve their local open space or spaces. The dataset has been created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL). As London’s Environmental Records Centre, GiGL mobilises, curates and shares data that underpin our knowledge of London’s natural environment. We provide impartial evidence to support informed discussion and decision making in policy and practice. GiGL maps under licence from the Greater London Authority. *Publicly accessible sites for leisure, activities and community engagement can be found in GiGL's Spaces to Visit dataset Description This dataset is a sub-set of the GiGL Open Space dataset, the most comprehensive dataset available of open spaces in London. Sites are selected for inclusion in the Friends Group subset based on whether there is a friends group recorded for the site in the Open Space dataset. The dataset is a mapped Geographic Information System (GIS) polygon dataset where one polygon (or multi-polygon) represents one space. As well as site boundaries, the dataset includes information about a site’s name, size, access and type (e.g. park, playing field etc.) and the name and/or web address of the site’s friends group. GiGL developed the dataset to support anyone who is interested in identifying sites in London with friends groups - including friends groups and other community groups, web and app developers, policy makers and researchers - with an open licence data source. More detailed and extensive data are available under GiGL data use licences for GIGL partners, researchers and students. Information services are also available for ecological consultants, biological recorders, community groups and members of the public – please see www.gigl.org.uk for more information. The dataset is updated on a quarterly basis. If you have questions about this dataset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer. Data sources The boundaries and information in this dataset are a combination of data collected during the London Survey Method habitat and open space survey programme (1986 – 2008) and information provided to GiGL from other sources since. These sources include London borough surveys, land use datasets, volunteer surveys, feedback from the public, park friends’ groups, and updates made as part of GiGL’s on-going data validation and verification process. This is a preliminary version of the dataset as there is currently low coverage of friends groups in GiGL’s Open Space database. We are continually working on updating and improving this dataset. If you have any additional information or corrections for sites included in GiGL’s Friends Group subset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer. NOTE: The dataset contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2024. The site boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping, and the data are published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'. When using these data please acknowledge GiGL and Ordnance Survey as the source of the information using the following citation: ‘Dataset created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL), 2024 – Contains Ordnance Survey and public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 ’

Introduction The GiGL Spaces to Visit dataset provides locations and boundaries for open space sites in Greater London that are available to the public as destinations for leisure, activities and community engagement. It includes green corridors that provide opportunities for walking and cycling. The dataset has been created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL). As London’s Environmental Records Centre, GiGL mobilises, curates and shares data that underpin our knowledge of London’s natural environment. We provide impartial evidence to support informed discussion and decision making in policy and practice. GiGL maps under licence from the Greater London Authority. Description This dataset is a sub-set of the GiGL Open Space dataset, the most comprehensive dataset available of open spaces in London. Sites are selected for inclusion in Spaces to Visit based on their public accessibility and likelihood that people would be interested in visiting. The dataset is a mapped Geographic Information System (GIS) polygon dataset where one polygon (or multi-polygon) represents one space. As well as site boundaries, the dataset includes information about a site’s name, size and type (e.g. park, playing field etc.). GiGL developed the Spaces to Visit dataset to support anyone who is interested in London’s open spaces - including community groups, web and app developers, policy makers and researchers - with an open licence data source. More detailed and extensive data are available under GiGL data use licences for GIGL partners, researchers and students. Information services are also available for ecological consultants, biological recorders and community volunteers – please see www.gigl.org.uk for more information. Please note that access and opening times are subject to change (particularly at the current time) so if you are planning to visit a site check on the local authority or site website that it is open. The dataset is updated on a quarterly basis. If you have questions about this dataset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer. Data sources The boundaries and information in this dataset, are a combination of data collected during the London Survey Method habitat and open space survey programme (1986 – 2008) and information provided to GiGL from other sources since. These sources include London borough surveys, land use datasets, volunteer surveys, feedback from the public, park friends’ groups, and updates made as part of GiGL’s on-going data validation and verification process. Due to data availability, some areas are more up-to-date than others. We are continually working on updating and improving this dataset. If you have any additional information or corrections for sites included in the Spaces to Visit dataset please contact GiGL’s GIS and Data Officer. NOTE: The dataset contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2024. The site boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping, and the data are published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'. When using these data please acknowledge GiGL and Ordnance Survey as the source of the information using the following citation: ‘Dataset created by Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL), 2024 – Contains Ordnance Survey and public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 ’

Analysis of Ordnance Survey (OS) data on access to private gardens, public parks and playing fields in Great Britain, available by country, region, Local Authority and Middle Layer Super Output Area. This page also includes Natural England survey data on garden access in England, broken down by personal characteristics such as age and ethnicity.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

A mixed methods collection.

This survey was undertaken to explore popular values for open land in the city and countryside building on the findings of in-depth discussion groups.
(The questionnaire survey is based on an analysis of in-depth discussion groups and is not designed to stand alone as a survey)


Main Topics:

Variables
Use of local open areas. Motivations and occasions for use. Use of walks. Views on management. Interpretation media used. Importance of open space for children. Use of countryside.
Socio-economic variables: age, sex, occupational status, family type, access to car.

Percentage and count of residential households within Wards, with access to at least one open space by specified type of space, and the amount/proportion of each ward that is open space with and without public access.

Also the proportion of homes located within public open space, and access to nature boundaries.

Areas of deficiency in access to nature are defined as built-up areas more than one kilometre actual walking distance from an accessible Metropolitan or Borough Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC).

The analysis of public open space is based on access to designated green/public open space and therefore excludes farmland, and other types of green space outside of the public open space category definitions within the London Plan.

These measures take no account of additional public rights of way, that can also give the same benefits as more formal open spaces.

Homes further away than the maximum recommended distance are considered to be deficient in access to that type of public open space (POS).

In 2015 the recommended distances for each type, are:

R - Regional Parks = 5km max

M - Metropolitan Parks = 2.4km max

D - District = 1.2km max

LSP - Local, Small and Pocket parks = 400 metres max.

For a definition of public open space types refer to the London Plan 2011, Table 7.2 http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/planning/londonplan

Higher category parks also perform the function of lower category parks, e.g. a Metropolitan Park also functions as a District Park and a Local Park.

The distance is actual walking distance (taking into account fences, railway lines, rivers etc.) to reach access points of parks and other, generally managed, sites, usually with some facilities.

This measure takes no account of the quality or facilities at each open space.

No account of local, small and pocket parks outside the Greater London boundary has been made, though all regional, metropolitan and district parks in the vicinity of London have been included.

Residental addresses provided by Ordnance Survey.

Wards in the City of London have been merged to create one area in 2013.

2014 ward boundaries only affect three boroughs in which wards changed in 2014 - Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Kensington and Chelsea. All other ward boundaries in London remain unchanged.

Visit the Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL) website http://www.gigl.org.uk/">here

This archive contains code and data to go with the paper An Open-Source Automatic Survey of Green Roofs in London using Segmentation of Aerial Imagery.

This archive contains geospatial data, as well as the code used to generate the geospatial data.

The geospatial data consists of georeferenced polygons identifying areas which are covered by green roofs in London (GBR) generated from 2019 aerial imagery.

The data is described in detail in the manuscript An Open-Source Automatic Survey of Green Roofs in London using Segmentation of Aerial Imagery. See abstract below.

GeoJSON format:

GeoJSON is a format for encoding geospatial data, see https://geojson.org/.

GeoJSON can be read using GIS programs including ArcGIS, QGIS, OGR.

Contents:

geospatial_data/buffered_polygons_2021.zip a zip archive containing a geojson file. It is the estimated locations of green roofs in London in 2021 and is the main result, which can be opened in any GIS program after being unzipped.

geospatial_data/buffered_polygons_2019.zip a zip archive containing a geojson file. It is the estimated locations of green roofs in London in 2019 and is a secondary result, which can be opened in any GIS program after being unzipped. The predictions were made with the same model as the 2021 results.

geospatial_data/labelled_area.zip a zip archive containing a geojson file. Identifies the area which was hand-labelled.

geospatial_data/manual_2021.zip a zip archive containing a geojson file. Manually labelled green roof from 2021 imagery.

geospatial_data/manual_2019.zip a zip archive containing a geojson file. Manually labelled green roof from 2019 imagery.

segmentation_code contains the code used to produce the segmentation from the aerial imagery.

analysis_code contains the code used to produce the plots and tables for the paper.

Imagery availability:

Unfortunately the aerial imagery and building footprint data cannot be shared directly, as you will require the proper license. Both can be found at Digimap provided your institution has the license.

Abstract:

Green roofs can mitigate heat, increase biodiversity, and attenuate storm water, giving some of the benefits of natural vegetation in an urban context where ground space is scarce. To guide the design of more sustainable and climate resilient buildings and neighbourhoods, there is a need to assess the existing status of green roof coverage and explore the potential for future implementation. Therefore, accurate information on the prevalence and characteristics of existing green roofs is needed, but this information is currently lacking. Segmentation algorithms have been used widely to identify buildings and land cover in aerial imagery. Using a machine-learning algorithm based on U-Net to segment aerial imagery, we surveyed the area and coverage of green roofs in London, producing a geospatial dataset \cite[]{simpson_charles_2022_6861929}. We estimate that there was 0.23 km^2 of green roof in the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) of London, (1.07 km^2) in Inner London, and (1.89 km^2) in Greater London in the year 2021. This corresponds to 2.0% of the total building footprint area in the CAZ, and 1.3% in Inner London. There is a relatively higher concentration of green roofs in the City of London, covering 3.9% of the total building footprint area. Test set accuracy was 0.99, with an f-score of 0.58. When tested against imagery and labels from a different year (2019), the model performed just as well as a model trained on the imagery and labels from that year, showing that the model generalised well between different imagery. We improve on previous studies by including more negative examples in the training data, and by requiring coincidence between vector building footprints and green roof patches. We experimented with different data augmentation methods, and found a small improvement in performance when applying random elastic deformations, colour shifts, gamma adjustments, and rotations to the imagery. The survey covers 1558 km^2 of Greater London, making this the largest open automatic survey of green roofs in any city. The geospatial dataset is at the single-building level, providing a higher level of detail over the larger area compared to what was already available. This dataset will enable future work exploring the potential of green roofs in London and on urban climate modelling.

September 2017 OS Code-Point Open for Greater London and London boroughs are downloadable via the links below. OS Code-Point Open provides a National Grid coodinate for a point within each postcode unit (e.g. SE1 2AA) in Great Britain.There are approximately 1.6 million postcode units in the UK and each contains an average of 15 adjoining addresses. It also contains a number of columns of attributes which provide information about each postcode unit, including local authority area codes down to ward level and National Health Service. The geographic extent of the Code-Point dataset below has been limited to the Greater London area as well as extracts for the City of London and the 32 London boroughs individually. In addition to conventional CSV file format, the dataset is also available as ESRI shapefile format (.shp) for ease of use with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for visualisation and further analysis. Key attributes: postcode unit, easting, northing, NHS health authority code and administrative codes Coverage: Greater London and 33 individual London borough. Format: Comma separated values (.csv) & Esri shapefile (.shp) External link: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/products/code-point-open.html

1. In the United Kingdom, children are spending less time outdoors and are more disconnected from nature than previous generations. However, interaction with nature at a young age can benefit wellbeing and long-term support for conservation. Green space accessibility in the UK varies between rural and urban areas and is lower for children than for adults. It is possible that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions may have influenced these differences. 2. In this study, we assessed parents’ attitudes towards green space, as well as whether the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions had affected their attitudes or the amount of time spent outside by their children, via an online survey for parents of primary school-aged children in Cambridgeshire and North London, UK (n = 171). We assessed whether responses were affected by local environment (rural, suburban or urban), school type (state-funded or fee-paying) or garden access (with or without private garden access). 3. Parents’ attitudes towards green space were significantly different between local environments: 76.9% of rural parents reported being happy with the amount of green space to which their children had access, in contrast with only 40.5% of urban parents. 4. COVID-19 lockdown restrictions also affected parents’ attitudes to the importance of green space, and this differed between local environments: 75.7% of urban parents said their views had changed during lockdown, in contrast with 35.9% of rural parents. The change in amount of time spent outside by children during lockdown was also significantly different between local environments: most urban children spent more time inside during lockdown, whilst most rural children spent more time outside. 5. Neither parents’ attitudes towards green space nor the amount of time spent outside by their children varied with school type or garden access. 6. Our results suggest that lockdown restrictions exacerbated pre-existing differences in access to nature between urban and rural children in our sampled population. We suggest that the current increased public and political awareness of the value of green space should be capitalised on to increase provision and access to green space and to reduce inequalities in accessibility and awareness of nature between children from different backgrounds.

Tento datový soubor poskytuje umístění otevřených prostor v Londýně, která byla identifikována výzkumem a analýzou dat jako soukromé veřejné prostory (POPS), a to na základě níže uvedené definice a dostupných údajů v roce 2017. Nejedná se o plně komplexní datový soubor a je založen na více zdrojích informací. Následující verze poskytnou aktualizace, jakmile budou k dispozici další informace. Přečtěte si více zde. Datový soubor byl vytvořen Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL). Gigl mobilizuje, spravuje a sdílí data, která jsou základem našich znalostí o londýnském přírodním prostředí. Poskytujeme nestranné důkazy, které umožňují informovanou diskusi a rozhodování v politice a praxi. Gigl mapy pod licencí od Greater London Authority. Výzkum pro tento datový soubor byl asistován týmem Guardian Cities.

Zdroje dat

Hranice a atributy jsou založeny na GiGL ’s Open Space datovém souboru, který je shromažďovaný datový soubor prostorových a atributových informací z různých zdrojů, včetně: informace o průzkumu stanovišť a otevřeného prostoru, které společnosti GiGL poskytly GLA a londýnské čtvrti, informace z průzkumu otevřeného prostoru ve čtvrti, kde byly poskytnuty společnosti GiGL nebo jsou k dispozici na základě otevřené licence, další informace o atributech odvozené z návštěv v terénu nebo výzkumu. Dostupné informace o otevřeném prostoru byly analyzovány společností GiGL za účelem identifikace POPS zahrnutých do tohoto datového souboru. Budoucí aktualizace sady dat GiGL Open Space budou informovat o budoucích verzích datového souboru POPS.

Definice

Pro účely vytvoření datového souboru byly POPS pečlivě definovány níže. Definice je založena na přezkumu podobných definic na mezinárodní úrovni a vhodnosti pro aplikaci na dostupné údaje z Londýna. Soukromé veřejné prostory (POPS): veřejně přístupné prostory, které jsou poskytovány a udržovány soukromými developery, kancelářemi nebo vlastníky bytových domů. Patří mezi ně náměstí, atrium a malé parky. Prostory poskytují několik funkčních zařízení pro veřejnost. Mají volný vstup a mohou být otevřeny 24 hodin nebo mají omezený přístup. Zatímco prostory vypadají veřejně, tam jsou často omezení &bsp;použít. Pro Greater London datový soubor se nebere v úvahu, pokud jde o místo &squo;s formální status v úvahách o plánování, a jsou zahrnuty pouze nezavřené POPS. Pops mohou být cílové prostory, které lákají návštěvníky zvenku a jsou určeny pro široké publikum, nebo sousedské prostory, které lákají obyvatele a zaměstnance z bezprostřední lokality a jsou obvykle silně spojeny s přilehlou ulicí nebo hostitelskou budovou. Tyto prostory jsou vysoce kvalitní a zahrnují celou řadu vybavení. POPS může být také přestávkovým prostorem, který ubytuje procházejícího uživatele pouze krátkou zastávku – například to může zahrnovat posezení, ale jen málo jiných zařízení, cirkulační prostor, určený ke zlepšení chodce &s;s cestu z A do B, nebo okrajový prostor, který zatímco veřejný prostor není příliš vstřícný a zažívá nízkou úroveň využití. (Ref.: Soukromý veřejný prostor: The New York City Experience, Jerold S. Kayden, The New York City Department of City Planning, and the Municipal Art Society of New York, vydávaný John Wiley & Synové, 2000). POZN.: Hranice jsou založeny na mapování Ordnance Survey a údaje jsou zveřejňovány v rámci „předpokladu zveřejnění“ Ordnance Survey. Obsahuje údaje a kopie operačního systému; Crown copyright a databázová práva 2017.