News

National #GetOutsideDay 2023

Where does your city rank for green space in 2023?

Press Office

| 7 minute read
With National #GetOutsideDay approaching on Sunday 24 September, OS has published its latest data showing the percentage of Britain’s cities devoted to green spaces to encourage residents to go out and enjoy them.

Have you ever wondered how much green space was available in your city? Today OS revealed a 2023 ranking list for every community granted city status in England, Scotland and Wales, showing the percentage of green space in each.

Green space is defined as public parks or gardens, playing fields, play spaces, outdoor sports facilities bowling greens, cemeteries, golf courses, religious grounds, gardens allotments or community growing spaces, and tennis courts.

When green space statistics are broken down city by city as percentages, St Albans, Wakefield and Bristol top the list for the most abundant green spaces in Britain, while City Of London, Ripon and Chichester contain the least.

Ranking list of British cities in 2023 for green space:

Rank

Name

% of green space 2023

1

St Albans

26.97

2

Wakefield

26.82

3

Bristol

24.02

4

Stoke-on-Trent

23.82

5

Peterborough

23.16

6

City of Westminster

22.13

7

Wrexham

20.82

8

Nottingham

20.68

9

Dundee

20.50

10

Milton Keynes

20.43

11

Manchester

20.42

12

Oxford

19.86

13

Edinburgh

19.36

14

Chelmsford

19.32

15

Newcastle upon Tyne

19.31

16

Lancaster

18.82

17

Glasgow

18.72

18

London

18.29

19

Winchester

18.14

20

Southampton

18.10

21

Leicester

18.08

22

Wells

17.81

23

Liverpool

17.67

24

Canterbury

17.32

25

Dunfermline

17.24

26

Sheffield

17.07

27

Preston

17.00

28

Swansea

16.96

29

Aberdeen

16.93

30

Salford

16.66

31

Leeds

16.38

32

Southend-on-Sea

16.36

33

Colchester

16.23

34

Birmingham

16.19

35

Durham

15.94

36

Ely

15.90

37

Bath

15.34

38

Derby

15.25

39

Gloucester

14.78

40

Stirling

14.63

41

Cardiff

14.58

42

Inverness

14.51

43

Hereford

14.22

44

Cambridge

14.18

45

Worcester

13.98

46

Portsmouth

13.45

47

Perth

13.45

48

Doncaster

13.18

49

Bradford

12.47

50

Bangor

12.43

51

Carlisle

12.40

52

York

12.15

53

Truro

12.08

54

Lincoln

12.06

55

Chester

11.56

56

Coventry

11.40

57

Brighton and Hove

11.30

58

Exeter

11.06

59

Wolverhampton

11.00

60

Salisbury

10.93

61

Norwich

10.85

62

Kingston upon Hull

9.98

63

Lichfield

9.91

64

Newport

9.29

65

Plymouth

9.12

66

Sunderland

9.08

67

St Asaph

9.07

68

St Davids

8.27

69

Chichester

6.90

70

Ripon

6.59

71

City of London

2.18

The ranking list was calculated using OS Open Greenspace Data from the OS Data Hub.

While the fast pace of urban life takes precedence for many of us living in cities, OS wants to use National #GetOutsideDay on Sunday 24 September as a chance to pause our hectic lives, take a breath of fresh air and connect with nature in the many green spaces our urban environments have to offer. It is encouraging people to dedicate at least one hour that day to connect with nature in their green spaces close by. Whether it's a peaceful stroll, a family picnic, some time at the allotment, or sitting in the park and appreciating the world around you, improving our well-being is often only a stone’s throw away.

OS’s MD for Leisure, Nick Giles OBE, said: “You don’t need to travel into the wild countryside or our beautiful national parks to experience the benefits of getting outside. Many of us can’t do that at the drop of a hat, but we can get out on our doorstep to our nearest park, common or green spaces and get just as much benefit.

“Why not take a bit of time out on Sunday, September 24 to do just that?

“There are thousands of precious urban green spaces dotted all over Britain worthy of spending time in to recharge and cleanse the body and soul given the incredible benefits of being in nature – which is what National #GetOutside Day is about.

“Scientific research has consistently shown that spending time in green spaces can reduce stress, boost mental clarity, and enhance overall physical health. Plus this gives us a great opportunity to connect with friends and families. The OS Maps App is a great introduction for this as it contains all the greenspace in our towns and cities and is packed full of easy-to-use walking routes to follow all over the country.”

Nick added: "Nature is our greatest healer, and it's often closer than we realize. This year we want National #GetOutsideDay to be used by people to embrace the natural beauty existing within our urban environments to help them recharge and re-engage with nature."

Learn more about National #GetOutside Day where you can share your own precious places outside on OS Maps App.

Or download the OS Maps App for free to find out where your nearest green spaces are.


By Press Office

Sharing the latest news about OS. We can license you to use OS maps in print, online and film format. For more information and resources for journalists, bloggers and media professionals, email pressoffice@os.uk or call 023 8005 5565.

Finding greenspaces has never been easier

The free Greenspace layer in OS Maps is the easiest way to discover greenspaces across Britain.

Products and solutions featured in this news article

  • OS Open Greenspace

    OS Open Greenspace is Britain’s most comprehensive Open dataset of greenspace. Find the location of public parks, sports facilities, play areas, allotments and more.