Urban green spaces in land-use policy – types of data, sources of data and staff – the case of Poland

Urban green spaces are a key element of land-use policy. This paper aims to analyse what kind of green spaces, formal and informal, are covered by documents that specify the spatial development policies used by urban policymakers and what types of data are used to develop land-use policies in towns and cities. The background of this analysis is the fundamental staff analysis in the departments of land-use planning. This article presents a quantitative analysis of a survey conducted in the towns and cities of two regions in Poland, broken down into three groups based on population. This division allowed conducting a comparative analysis of data used for land-use policies and formal and informal green spaces as policy components considered by policymakers. The staff of land-use planning departments is the first line to improve the quality of data connected with green areas use. One hundred and thirteen cities and towns took part in the study, constituting 83.7% of the surveyed population. The analysis shows that the main sources used by those who develop land-use policies are the register of land and buildings, geoportals, orthophotomaps, and spatial data from the General Directorate for Environmental Protection collections. Parks are the dominant form of greenery featured in land-use policies. Other forms of green spaces are viewed as less important. The survey shows that what the land-use policy system needs most is a unified definition of green spaces and that it must be a broad definition of green areas, including formal and informal green areas. Introducing this definition will improve urban residents' quality of life following the requirements of sustainable development. •Types of data related to greenery are associated with the size of cities and towns.•Urban authorities often focus on fraction greenery in land-use policy.•Urban green spaces data are the basis of an evidence-based approach to creating land-use policy.•Many open datasets are not used in the land-use planning process.