Download source CSV for disaggregations
Headline data
Year | Value | GeoCode | Observation status | Unit multiplier |
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2019 | 4.9 | Undefined | Units |
This section provides metadata for the data reported for this indicator at the national level and at the global level.
- Goal
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Target
Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
- Indicator
Indicator 11.7.1: Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
- Series
- Related indicators
11.3.1: Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate
11.2.1: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
- Custodian agencies
UN-HABITAT
Field | National | Global |
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Organisation | Not available for this indicator |
UN-HABITAT |
Contact organisation unit | Not available for this indicator |
Not available for this indicator |
Contact email address | Not available for this indicator |
Not available for this indicator |
Field | National | Global |
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Definition and concepts | Not available for this indicator |
Definitions and Concepts: Indicator 11.7.1 has several interesting concepts that required global consultations and consensus. These include; built-up area, cities, open spaces for public use, etc. As a custodian agency, UN-Habitat has worked on these concepts along with several other partners.
Public space: The Global Public Space toolkit defines Public Space as all places that are publicly owned or of public use, accessible and enjoyable by all, for free and without a profit motive, categorized into streets, open spaces and public facilities. Public space in general is defined as the 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. For the purpose of monitoring and reporting on indicator 11.7.1, public space is defined as all places of public use, accessible by all, and comprises open public space and streets.
For more details and illustrations on the definition of the different types of open spaces considered for indicator 11.7.1 see SDG 11.7.1 step by step training module (https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/07/indicator_11.7.1_training_module_public_space.pdf). 1 A recommendation on the method to delineate cities, urban and rural areas for international statistical comparisons. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/51st-session/documents/BG-Item3j-Recommendation-E.pdf ↑ |
Unit of measure | Not available for this indicator |
Proportion (percentage) |
Classifications | Not available for this indicator |
Not available for this indicator |
Field | National | Global |
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Data sources | Not available for this indicator |
Satellite imagery (open sources), documentation outlining publicly owned land and community-based maps are the main sources of data.
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Data collection method | Not available for this indicator |
Data collection is supposed to be done at the local city/urban level, with national aggregates made from all cities in the country, or from a sample of representative cities (selected using the National Sample of Cities Approach developed by UN-Habitat: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/06/national_sample_of_cities_english.pdf ). At the Global level, data will be assembled and compiled for international consumption and comparison by UN-Habitat and other partners. UN-Habitat and partners will explore several capacity building options to ensure that uniform standards for generation, reporting and analysing data for this indicator are applied by all countries and regions. Validation of data on potential open public spaces, which are mapped from high resolution imagery or compiled from open sources (see method of computation section) requires ground truthing. UN-Habitat has developed a set of questions, which can be administered through mobile device-based applications such as KoboToolbox. The questions are available on this tool: https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/#IGFf6ubq |
Data collection calendar | Not available for this indicator |
The monitoring of the indicator can be repeated at regular intervals of 3-5 years, allowing for three reporting points until the year 2030. However, annual updates to the existing database will be done and hence data releases based on annual updates will be available every year. Monitoring in 3-5-year intervals will allow cities to determine whether the shares of open public space in the built-up areas of cities are increasing significantly over time, as well as deriving the share of the global urban population living in cities where the open public space is below the acceptable minimum. UN-Habitat has developed a simple reporting template to collect city level data which will be sent to countries on an annual basis for reporting. This reporting template, which requests for information on the major components described in this metadata is expected to be used until 2030, but slight changes may be effected based as data on more aspects becomes available. The template is appended to this metadata and can also be accessed HERE. |
Data release calendar | Not available for this indicator |
Data for indicator 11.7.1 will be released on an annual basis, to cater for an anticipated increase in the number of cities/urban areas and countries reporting on the indicator. Changes in trends within individual cities and/or countries are likely to happen in spans of about 3-5 years, so a three-year window will be applied for comprehensive review of all data, with updates made based on availability of new data. |
Data providers | Not available for this indicator |
See “Data compilers” section below. |
Data compilers | Not available for this indicator |
UN-Habitat is the lead agency on the global reporting for this indicator and as such, has over the last two years coordinated the efforts of various partners, on methodological developments and piloting of data collection. Key among these partners have included National Statistical Offices, New York University, ESRI, FAO, UNGGIM, UCLG, Local government departments, the European Commission, UN regional commissions, KTH University-Sweden, Urban Observatories, etc. Working in partnership with these partners, UN-Habitat has undertaken trainings and capacity development activities in cities, countries and regions, which have contributed to enhanced data collection and setting up of systems to monitor and report on the indicator. In addition, over the last 5 years, UN-Habitat and other partners have held several consultations which have collectively contributed to the refinement of the indicator methodology, and its piloting. Some of the key activities include;
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Institutional mandate | Not available for this indicator |
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the specialized agency for sustainable urbanization and human settlements in the United Nations. The mandate derives from the priorities established in relevant General Assembly resolutions and decisions, including General Assembly resolution 3327 (XXIX), by which the General Assembly established the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, and resolution 32/162 by which the Assembly established the United Nations Center for Human Settlements (Habitat). In 2001, by its Resolution 56/206, the General Assembly transformed the Habitat into the secretariat of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), with a mandate to coordinate human settlements activities within the United Nations System. As such, UN-Habitat has been designated the overall coordinator of SDG 11 and specifically as a custodian agency for 9 of the 15 indicators under SDG 11 including indicator 11.7.1. UN-Habitat also supports the monitoring and reporting of 4 urban specific indicators in other goals. |
Field | National | Global |
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Rationale | Not available for this indicator |
The value of public spaces is often overlooked or underestimated by policy makers, leaders, citizens and urban developers. There are several reasons for this, such as the lack of resources, or understanding or capacity to use public space as a complete, multi-functional urban system. Often the lack of appropriate enabling frameworks, weak political will and the absence of the means of public engagement compound the situation. Nevertheless, fundamentally, the lack of a global measurement indicator has hindered the local and global appreciation of the value of the public spaces. The SDGs have for the first time provided a platform where public spaces can be globally monitored. Indicator 11.7.1 measures the share of land allocated to public spaces and the total population with access of these spaces by age, gender and disability. The share of land that a city allocates to streets and open public spaces is not only critical to its productivity, but also contributes significantly to the social dimensions and health of its population. The size, distribution and quality of a city’s overall public space act as a good indicator of shared prosperity. Cities that improve and sustain the use of public space, including streets, enhance community cohesion, civic identity, and quality of life. A prosperous city develops policies and actions for sustainable use of, and equitable access to public space. In cities, due to a neglect of public space both in quality and quality, there is a need to revise and expand the ratio of land allocated to public spaces to make them more efficient, prosperous and sustainable. Uncontrolled rapid urbanization has created disorderly settlement patterns with alarmingly low shares of public space. Many cities in developed countries are also experiencing a dramatic reduction of public space. Reclaiming urban spaces for people is part of how we can humanize our cities and make our streets and public areas more communal. A well developed and properly designed network of streets increases connectivity, promotes walking and social interactions but also encourages development of other street activities that bring life to a city. Equally, a well distributed and hierarchical system of open public spaces that can be accessed by all regardless of income, gender, race or disability status and one that promotes multiple activities not only encourages their use, but also contributes to the urban character and quality of urban life. |
Comments and limitations | Not available for this indicator |
A major challenge for local monitoring of this indicator is the maintenance and the application/consistency of use of universal definition, which broadly does not consider existing operational/functional administrative demarcations. While urbanization has over the past decade resulted in big urbanized patches/regions which extend beyond existing urban area boundaries, the local operationalization and management of urban systems remain within defined authorities. These authorities are often in charge of governing the urban systems, ensuring effective and efficient functioning through such actions as provision of basic services, development control among others. While some countries have adopted dynamic administrative structures for their urban areas (which shift with expansions in built-up areas), others have maintained confined boundaries. Some of the most common types of boundaries include city, municipality, local authority, metropolitan, mega and meta region demarcations; all of which are set and defined based on prevailing operational dynamics (e.g. governance and service delivery structures). UN-Habitat has developed tools, programmes and guidelines to assist cities in measuring, and accounting for the available public space in cities. Some cities in the developing world lack formally recognized public spaces, that are publicly maintained. Understanding of the prevailing local contexts and primary data collection in collaboration with city authorities and local communities contribute significantly to collecting accurate and relevant data in these contexts. Similarly, the types of open public space vary across cities. The types of spaces listed in this indicator are however the most common and accepted variations of the open public space. Data collection processes using the methodology described in this metadata, which has been conducted by UN-Habitat in partnership with cities, as well as by other partners has revealed that there are no major overlaps or omissions in the described broad categories of open public spaces. Beyond quantifying the amount of open space in public use in cities, this indicator also attempts in minimal ways to capture the quality of the space that may impede its proper use. The qualitative data collected on this indicator strengthens the evidence that an open space exists, and that its public use is guaranteed, to allow city authorities and other stakeholders to further improve its quality and increase its use. |
Method of computation | Not available for this indicator |
Computation Method: The method to estimate the area of public space has been globally piloted in over 600 cities and this follows a series of methodological developments that go back to the last 7 years. The finalized methodology is a three-step process:
Following consultations with 86 member states, the United Nations Statistical Commission in its 51st Session (March 2020) endorsed the Degree of Urbanisation (DEGURBA) as a workable method to delineate cities, urban and rural areas for international statistical comparisons. Countries are thus encouraged to adopt this approach, which will help them produce data that is comparable across urban areas within their territories, as well as with urban areas and cities in other countries. More details on DEGURBA and its application are available here: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/51st-session/documents/BG-Item3j-Recommendation-E.pdf
This step involves mapping of potential open public spaces within the urban boundaries defined in step one above and estimation of their area. Identification of potential open public spaces is based on the spatial character of each space and is also informed by existing country/ city land use maps and open space inventories. To compute this component of the indicator, follow these steps:
Where street data by width and length fields is available/specified, the following methodology could be used:
Where detailed data on streets is not available, there is need to map out each street line (or the entire area covered by the streets), measure its length and width, which are required for the area computation. For small urban areas, it is possible to manually digitize all streets, but this is more complex for large urban areas and cities. For these large urban areas, an alternative technique for computing land allocated to the streets is one that adopts sampling principles. An approach that uses the Halton sampling sequence is recommended, specifically because the sequence generates equidistant points, increasing the degree of sample representativeness. To compute LAS using this method, follow the following steps:
The land allocated to streets = Open source datasets such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) have a good amount of street data on many cities, which is increasingly being updated and extended to cover new areas. This data can also be used as a starting point to understand the pattern of streets in a city. Upon verification of the OSM street categorization for each city, sampling can be used to estimate the average width of each street category, which can in turn help compute the share of land allocated to streets. The final computation of the indicator is done using the formula:
To help define an “acceptable walking distance” to open public spaces”, UN-Habitat organized a series of consultations with national statistical officers, civil society and community groups, experts in diverse fields, representatives from academia, think tanks, other UN-agencies, and regional commissions among other partners. These consultations, which were held between 2016 and 2018 concluded that a walking distance of 400 meters - equivalent to 5 minutes’ walk was a practical and realistic threshold. Based on this, a street network-based service area is drawn around each public open space, using the 400 meters access threshold. All populations living within the service areas are in turn identified as having access to the public open spaces, based on the following key assumptions:
The estimation of total population with access to open public spaces is achieved using the two broad steps described below:
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Adjustments | Not available for this indicator |
Any adjustments to the data is jointly agreed after consultations with the relevant national agencies that share the data points for reporting. |
Treatment of missing values (i) at country level and (ii) at regional level | Not available for this indicator |
• At country level • At regional and global levels All qualifying cities/countries are expected to fully report on this indicator more consistently following implementation and full roll out of this methodology. In the early years of this indicator, we had data gaps due to no data being collected at the time, as opposed to missing data. In most of the cases, missing values to-date reflect a non-measurement of the indicator for the city. However, because national statistical agencies will report national figures from a complete coverage of all their cities, some cities may take longer to be measured or monitored. As a result, UN-habitat has worked with partners to develop a concept of applying a National Sample of Cities. With this approach, countries will be able to select a nationally representative sample of cities from their system of cities, and these will be used for global monitoring and reporting purposes for the period of the SDGs. The fully developed methodology on this concept has been rolled out and countries that are unable to cover the full spectrum of their cities are already applying this approach. See: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/06/national_sample_of_cities_english.pdf |
Regional aggregations | Not available for this indicator |
N/A |
Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level | Not available for this indicator |
The detailed tutorial on the indicator computation can be accessed here: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/07/indicator_11.7.1_training_module_public_space.pdf. The guidance on implementation of the National Sample of Cities Approach is available here: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/06/national_sample_of_cities_english.pdf |
Quality management | Not available for this indicator |
To ensure consistency in data production across countries, UN-Habitat has developed detailed step-by-step tutorials on the computation of indicator 11.7.1, which further explain the steps presented in this metadata. The detailed tutorials, which will be continuously updated are available at https://unhabitat.org/knowledge/data-and-analytics, https://www.urbanagendaplatform.org/learning, and https://data.unhabitat.org/. Within its Data and Analytics Section which is responsible for the indicator data compilation, UN-Habitat has a team of spatial data experts who check all submitted data and provide direct support to countries in the indicator computation. As part of its global custodianship of indicator 11.7.1, UN-Habitat has also established partnerships with major institutions and organizations involved in production of baseline data relevant for the indicator computation. The main aim of this is to create a common understanding on the approach for the indicator computation, and to encourage continuous production of high-quality global data that responds to the indicator computation needs. Examples of some ongoing initiatives with partners to manage quality of products and processes include, among others providing support to apply the Degree of Urbanisation at the local level for the indicator computation (in partnership with the European Commission), development of an Earth Observation Toolkit for SDG 11 (in partnership with EO4SDG and GEO), and continuous feedback to global products produced by partners. |
Quality assurance | Not available for this indicator |
Data coming from the cities and countries will be verified through the local network of actors, who will also identify which open spaces meet the criteria defined in this metadata. Where information on streets and open public spaces is acquired from open sources and volunteered geospatial data channels, cities and countries will validate the accuracy of the information. |
Quality assessment | Not available for this indicator |
Once data is received from member states, UN-Habitat uses a checklist specific to each indicator to assess a) whether the data production process followed the metadata provisions, and b) confirm the accuracy of the data sources used for the indicator computation. Both components are captured in the reporting template shared with National Statistical Offices, which helps to assess whether computation was done using the proposed indicator inputs or proxies. The reporting template also requests for information that helps understand whether national data for the indicator was produced from a representative sample of the country’s urban systems, or if estimates were done for only select cities/urban areas where data is easily available. In addition, the received data is also checked for other qualities such as data disaggregation, reporting period and consistency with other previously reported trends, which ensures reliable regional estimates. For indicator 11.2.1, one extra assessment that is done is to check the completeness of open-source data (such as OpenStreetMap and General Transit Feeds Specification – GTFS) for the specific country/city, where such is used for the indicator estimation. |
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Not available for this indicator |
Data availability: Through a multi-stakeholder collaboration, the major input for this indicator computation – a mapping of open public spaces – which has been the major gap in its measurement is increasingly being produced at multiple levels. Most of this information is being collated from city land use plans, community mapping activities, volunteered GIS data, as well as through initiatives led by national statistical and mapping agencies as well as UN-Habitat and partners. Detailed data on 712 cities has been produced through multi-stakeholder efforts, and new cities are incrementally being added to a rapidly growing data production system at the local, national, regional and global levels. Time series: Disaggregation: Based on availability of high-resolution population data, population with access to open public spaces should be disaggregated by age, gender and disability. Wherever possible, it would also be useful to have information disaggregated by:
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Not available for this indicator |
Sources of discrepancies: Applying the proposed methodology to an entire globe of different cities will be challenging, but there are some basic principles that cities can use to measure public space uniformly. Cities can inventory the spectrum of spaces, from natural areas to small neighbourhood parks owned by different government entities. For example, in some cities, cemeteries are publicly available spaces run by the city park and recreation department. UN-Habitat has developed a basic methodological guide and tools, which have enabled national statistical agencies and cities to apply these methods in a standard way and compile a comparable inventory of open public spaces. |
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Not available for this indicator |
References:
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