Distance to Small Gardens measures the Euclidean distance (in metres) from each point in the analysed area to the nearest green patch of at least 0.04 ha (400 m²), targeting pocket parks, community gardens, and small neighbourhood green spaces. 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 small green spaces. Classification follows the ANGSt standard (Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard, Natural England 2010).
Within the hierarchy, this is the middle tier: stricter than distance_to_green (no filter) but more inclusive than distance_to_parks (minimum 0.5 ha). The 0.04 ha threshold corresponds approximately to 40 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 Green Areas with an additional patch size filter that removes very small green fragments.
Formula: Distance to Small Gardens = Euclidean distance from each pixel to the nearest green patch >= 0.04 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 >= 0.04 ha patch filter |
Ring Gauge. A circular comparison chart (site vs control) showing the percentage distribution of population distances to the nearest green patch of at least 0.04 ha, with an A--E quality grade and site-control delta.
Purpose: How far are residents in the analysed area from the nearest small green space (>= 400 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 Small Gardens." Chart label: "Site-Control Distance to Small Gardens Comparison." The unit of measurement is metres (m).
How it's calculated: Identical to Distance to Green Areas with an additional patch filter: green patches smaller than 0.04 ha (~40 pixels at 10 m) are removed before computing the distance transform. 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 small gardens |
| 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 small green spaces |
| E | > 1,000 m | ■ #FF0000 | Very Far -- strong inequality in small garden access |
Interpretation example: If this ring shows a mean distance of 93 m with grade A, nearly all the population lives within 93 m of a public garden or green area of at least 400 m² -- an excellent green equity score for local proximity.
Assessment Sidebar Row. A row in the E4 sidebar showing the grade and values for distance to small gardens.
Purpose: Compact summary of distance to small gardens (>= 0.04 ha) in the assessment sidebar.
Description: Row labelled "Distance to Small Gardens" 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 >= 0.04 ha patch filter.
Note: This indicator is inverted -- lower values indicate better conditions.
Interpretation example: If the sidebar shows "Distance to Small Gardens E4 -- Site: 93 m / Control: 155 m", the site is closer to small gardens than the control area -- a local green accessibility strength.
Slider Card. A scrollable card in the available maps panel (Maps > Land use) showing a thumbnail preview of the distance-to-small-gardens raster layer with its last update timestamp.
Purpose: Provide quick access to the distance-to-small-gardens map layer and indicate when it was last updated.
Description: The card shows a thumbnail image of the raster, the name "Distance to small gardens," 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 parks."
How it's calculated: The displayed raster is the output of the distance-to-small-gardens computation (ESA WorldCover 2021, 10 m, >= 0.04 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 small gardens (best conditions).
Interpretation example: If the card thumbnail shows predominantly dark green with scattered yellow patches, the site area has good access to small green spaces, with a few zones further from the minimum-sized gardens.
Map Layer. An interactive cartographic overlay showing the spatial distribution of distances to small green patches (>= 0.04 ha) in the analysed area, selectable from the "Select layer" dropdown on the Maps page.
Purpose: Where is access to small gardens 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 0.04 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 parks" layers.
How it's calculated: The layer is the ESA WorldCover 2021 distance raster at 10 m resolution with a >= 0.04 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 large dark green areas around parks and gardens with yellow-orange corridors along major roads, small green spaces are well distributed but access from the road network is limited -- indicating opportunities for roadside greening.
See the Calculation Methodology section for the core computation. Additional processing details are documented here for expert users.