Distance to Parks measures the Euclidean distance (in metres) from each point in the analysed area to the nearest green patch of at least 0.5 ha (5,000 m²), targeting neighbourhood parks and significant public green spaces as defined by the ANGSt standard. It uses ESA WorldCover 2021 at 10 m resolution and is part of the three-tier Green Equity hierarchy on the platform.
This indicator is inverted -- lower values indicate better conditions, meaning the population is closer to significant parks. Classification follows the ANGSt standard (Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard, Natural England 2010).
Within the hierarchy, this is the most restrictive tier: only green patches of at least 0.5 ha qualify, compared to distance_to_small_gardens (minimum 0.04 ha) and distance_to_green (no filter). The 0.5 ha threshold corresponds approximately to 500 pixels at 10 m resolution.
ESRS alignment: E4 (biodiversity and ecosystems -- urban green infrastructure and accessibility).
The distance raster is computed identically to Distance to Small Gardens with a higher patch size threshold.
Formula: Distance to Parks = Euclidean distance from each pixel to the nearest green patch >= 0.5 ha (metres, 10 m resolution)
Calculation steps:
Note: This indicator is inverted -- lower values indicate better conditions.
| Source | Provider | Coverage | Resolution | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (WRD_ESAXX_21) | European Space Agency | Global | 10 m | 2021 |
Version history
| Version | Description |
|---|---|
| v0 (current) | Initial release -- Euclidean distance transform on ESA WorldCover 2021 green mask with >= 0.5 ha patch filter |
Ring Gauge. A circular comparison chart (site vs control) showing the percentage distribution of population distances to the nearest public park of at least 0.5 ha, with an A--E quality grade and site-control delta.
Purpose: How far are residents from the nearest significant public park (>= 5,000 m²)?
Description: Two side-by-side rings (Site vs Control) show the percentage distribution across distance bands: < 150 m, 150--300 m, 300--500 m, 500--1,000 m, > 1,000 m. A quality grade badge (A--E) indicates overall site quality, and a delta value (Site - Control) shows the difference. Title: "Distance to Parks." Chart label: "Site-Control Distance to Parks Comparison." The unit of measurement is metres (m).
How it's calculated: Identical to Distance to Small Gardens with a higher patch threshold: green patches smaller than 0.5 ha (~500 pixels at 10 m) are removed. The grade is assigned using the ANGSt classification (Natural England 2010).
Note: This indicator is inverted -- lower values indicate better conditions.
Legend:
| Level | Distance | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0--150 m | ■ #006400 | Very Close -- excellent access to parks |
| B | 150--300 m | ■ #32CD32 | Close -- good accessibility |
| C | 300--500 m | ■ #FFFF00 | Moderate -- acceptable accessibility |
| D | 500--1,000 m | ■ #FFA500 | Far -- limited access to significant parks |
| E | > 1,000 m | ■ #FF0000 | Very Far -- strong inequality in park access |
Interpretation example: If this ring shows grade E with a mean distance > 1,000 m, residents in the analysed area have no significant public parks nearby -- a signal of strong inequality in access to recreational green spaces.
Assessment Sidebar Row. A row in the E4 sidebar showing the grade and values for distance to parks (>= 0.5 ha).
Purpose: Compact summary of distance to significant parks in the assessment sidebar.
Description: Row labelled "Distance to Parks" with E4 grade, Site value and Control value in metres, and the site-control difference.
How it's calculated: Same ANGSt classification as Distance to Green Areas, applied to the site's mean distance with a >= 0.5 ha patch filter.
Note: This indicator is inverted -- lower values indicate better conditions.
Interpretation example: If the sidebar shows "Distance to Parks E4 -- Site: 2,000 m / Control: 2,000 m", both the site and the control area are far from significant parks -- both grade E (> 1,000 m).
Slider Card. A scrollable card in the available maps panel (Maps > Land use) showing a thumbnail preview of the distance-to-parks raster layer with its last update timestamp.
Purpose: Provide quick access to the distance-to-parks map layer and indicate when it was last updated.
Description: The card shows a thumbnail image of the raster, the name "Distance to parks," and the last update date. Clicking the card loads the interactive layer on the map. Equivalent cards exist for "Distance to green areas" and "Distance to small gardens."
How it's calculated: The displayed raster is the output of the distance-to-parks computation (ESA WorldCover 2021, 10 m, >= 0.5 ha patch filter), coloured with a continuous colormap from dark green (#006400, 0 m) to red (#FF0000, >= 1,000 m).
Note: This indicator is inverted -- areas shown in dark green are closest to parks (best conditions).
Interpretation example: If the card thumbnail shows large red areas with green only near a few park locations, most of the site area lacks significant parks within walking distance -- identifying a clear green equity gap.
Map Layer. An interactive cartographic overlay showing the spatial distribution of distances to green patches of at least 0.5 ha in the analysed area, selectable from the "Select layer" dropdown on the Maps page.
Purpose: Where is access to significant parks most limited within and around the site perimeter?
Description: The layer displays a raster where each pixel is coloured according to its distance to the nearest green patch of at least 0.5 ha: dark green for the closest zones, red for the most distant. The dropdown also includes "Green Equity" (distance to green areas) and "Distance to small gardens" layers.
How it's calculated: The layer is the ESA WorldCover 2021 distance raster at 10 m resolution with a >= 0.5 ha patch filter, coloured with a continuous 5-stop colormap.
Note: This indicator is inverted -- darker green areas indicate better conditions.
Legend:
| Distance | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0--150 m | ■ #006400 | Excellent accessibility (grade A) |
| 150--300 m | ■ #32CD32 | Good accessibility (grade B) |
| 300--500 m | ■ #FFFF00 | Moderate accessibility (grade C) |
| 500--1,000 m | ■ #FFA500 | Limited accessibility (grade D) |
| > 1,000 m | ■ #FF0000 | Very limited access (grade E) |
Interpretation example: If the map shows a dense urban core almost entirely in red/orange with green only at the periphery, the area suffers from a severe park deficit -- residents in the centre must travel over 1 km to reach a park of at least 0.5 ha.
See the Calculation Methodology section for the core computation. Additional processing details are documented here for expert users.