A national Green and Blue Space (GBS) Index for England: An interactive tool for analysis and planning

Abstract

ACCESS THE INTERACTIVE MAP VIA RELATED URLS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS RECORD

Methodological Information:
The Green and Blue (GBS) Index scores were calculated for all 32,844 LSOAs (2011) in England, providing a comprehensive national assessment of green-blue space provision explicitly focused on mental health implications.
These scores were then mapped using GIS to visualise spatial patterns and identify areas of particular concern or excellence in green-blue space provision for mental health. This spatial representation enables policymakers to target interventions in areas of greatest need and to identify exemplar locations where optimal configurations of green-blue spaces support mental wellbeing.
The evaluated criteria were categorised into:
1) Primary Environmental Features present in the LSOA (%percentage of LSOAs area coverage):
a) Active green spaces (AGS): Including public parks, gardens, play spaces, golf courses, sports areas, playing fields, allotments, and community growing spaces,
b) Passive green spaces (PGS): Encompassing broadleaved woodland, coniferous woodland, improved grassland, neutral grassland, calcareous grassland, acid grassland, heather, and heather grassland,
c) Blue spaces (BS): Including both saltwater and freshwater bodies,
2) Proximity Features (%percentage of LSOAs area coverage):
a) Areas within 300m of active green spaces,
b) Areas within 300m of passive green spaces,
c) Areas within 300m of blue spaces
This weighted approach ensured that the GBS Index not only captures the multidimensional nature of green-blue space provision across geographical space but also reflects the differential importance of various environmental features for mental health outcomes.
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Geospatial Analysis Information:
All geospatial models in this study used Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) as the unit of analysis. In all analyses, we used the LSOA boundaries published by the Office for National Statistics as of March 21, 2021:
Office for National Statistics. Census 2021 geographies [Internet]. 2021. Available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies/censusgeographies/census2021geographies
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Integrated Care Board Boundaries:
Digital vector boundaries for Integrated Care Boards in England were those published by the Office for National Statistics:
Integrated Care Boards (April 2023) EN BGC [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/d6bcd7d1-0143-4366-9622-62a99b362a5c/integrated-care-boards-april-2023-en-bgc

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Identifiers

ORCID for Anastasia Tsakiridi: orcid.org/0000-0001-8465-317X

ORCID for Dalia Tsimpida: orcid.org/0000-0002-3709-5651

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