page_title: Urban green space
section_title: Definitions and concepts
hierarchical_section_title: Urban green space / Definitions and concepts
caption_attribution_description: English: Washington Park in Troy, New York, United States
context_page_description: In land-use planning, urban green space is open-space areas reserved for parks and other "green spaces", including plant life, water features and other kinds of natural environment. Most urban open spaces are green spaces, but occasionally include other kinds of open areas. The landscape of urban open spaces can range from playing fields to highly maintained environments to relatively natural landscapes.
  Generally considered open to the public, urban green spaces are sometimes privately owned, such as higher education campuses, neighborhood/community parks/gardens, and institutional or corporate grounds. Areas outside city boundaries, such as state and national parks as well as open space in the countryside, are not considered urban open space. Streets, piazzas, plazas and urban squares are not always defined as urban open space in land use planning. Urban green spaces have wide reaching positive impacts on the health of individuals and communities near the green space.
  Urban greening policies are important for revitalizing communities, reducing financial burdens of healthcare and increasing quality of life.
context_section_description: Most research on the topic focus on urban green spaces. The WHO defined this as "all urban land covered by vegation of any kind".
  When doing research, some experts use "urban open space" to describe a broader range of open areas. One definition holds that, "As the counterpart of development, urban open space is a natural and cultural resource, synonymous with neither 'unused land' nor 'park and recreation areas." Another is "Open space is land and/or water area with its surface open to the sky, consciously acquired or publicly regulated to serve conservation and urban shaping function in addition to providing recreational opportunities." In almost all instances, the space referred to by the term is, in fact, green space, focused on natural areas.  
  
  These spaces are part of "public space" broadly construed, which include meeting or gathering places that exist outside the home and workplace that are generally accessible by members of the public, and which foster resident interaction and opportunities for contact and proximity. This definition implies a higher level of community interaction and places a focus on public involvement rather than public ownership or stewardship.
caption: Washington Park in Troy, NY, U.S., an example of privately owned urban open space
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