Urban Open Spaces and Green Areas Metrics from 1990 to 2020

United Nations Human Settlements Programme data on urban open spaces and green areas. The dataset includes metrics such as the average share of urban areas allocated to streets and open public spaces, the share of urban population with convenient access to an open public space, the average share of cities in green areas, and green area per capita. Data is provided for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020.

Use Cases

• Model urban population access to public spaces based on the 400-meter walking distance metric.
• Analyze trends in green area per capita over four decades.
• Benchmark city infrastructure allocation by comparing the share of urban areas dedicated to streets and open spaces.
• Assess progress towards sustainable development goals related to urban green spaces.

Strengths

• Data covers four distinct time points spanning 30 years (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020).
• Includes multiple standardized metrics for urban planning, such as green area per capita and population access share.
• Published by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, an authoritative source.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

United Nations Human Settlements Programmes, Data and Analytics Section

Collection Method

Likely compiled from national and municipal reporting or satellite analysis.

Time Range

1990, 2000, 2010, 2020

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-06 22:23:11.325847; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Urban areas globally, specific coverage unknown.