Open Spaces
Aberdeen has a variety of blue and green open spaces that are important to our quality of life, benefiting our communities, our environment and our economy. Green spaces can include parks, gardens, playing fields, woodlands, play areas, allotments, and civic spaces and blue spaces include features such as ponds, burns and rivers. They are often combined in features such as rain gardens or Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). Taken together, these features can form important networks of blue and green infrastructure (BGI) for people, wildlife and public services such as active travel routes, wildlife corridors and surface water management systems.
Open spaces have the potential to deliver a huge variety of multiple benefits: they provide opportunities for relaxation, reflection, play and recreation, improving mental and physical health and wellbeing. This in turn can support a reduction in professional healthcare needs and costs, and increase economic activity in a population. They can provide public services such as active travel routes and water management systems, help create revenue for local business, provide opportunities for job creation and increased property values. They have important learning and cultural value, make a significant contribution to placemaking and give us opportunities to connect with nature and each other. They help us collectively make positive environmental changes, promote nature recovery, and tackle the global climate-nature crisis.
How we manage open spaces and the natural environment also plays a crucial part in delivering the Net Zero Aberdeen Natural Environment Strategy, Aberdeen Adapts, Council Climate Change Plan, Aberdeen Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2016-2026, and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.
Aberdeen's open and green spaces are managed by Aberdeen City Council, partners, community groups, volunteers, businesses and other organisations.
Open Space Audit and Strategy
A refreshed Open Space Audit was published in 2025. This will inform an update to the Natural Environment Strategy which will outline how we manage and improve green and open spaces for the benefit of the people, nature and economy of Aberdeen.
The Open Space Audit Main Report, Audit Mapping and Interactive Data Dashboard are available to view or download below:
Audit GIS Mapping
The Audit findings and publicly available Audit mapping are encouraged to be used by all to help drive positive environmental changes, identify projects and secure funding for environmental improvements at site, community, and city-wide levels.
A periodic Audit provides key information on the types, quality and accessibility of open and green spaces in Aberdeen that are critical to directing greenspace policies, management of spaces, and the interventions of partners.
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 requires planning authorities to carry out an Audit of open spaces and to prepare and publish an open space strategy as well as assess the opportunities for play in their area.
The planning system plays an important role in protecting and enhancing open spaces for community use, sport and recreation as well as providing high quality new spaces.
An open space Audit is used to assist with protecting and improving green spaces through the planning process and by supporting blue green infrastructure policies in the Aberdeen Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4, the spatial strategies for Aberdeen and Scotland. Open spaces, protected sites and green belt sites are used to protect our most important environmental assets and areas.
Aberdeen’s Open Space Strategy 2011 aims to provide attractive and appealing places and sets out our vision to improve the quality of our open spaces.
For further information, please contact the Climate & Environment Policy Service - ecocity@aberdeencity.gov.uk