Parks and public gardens are widespread in urban areas in the Netherlands. In fact, 89 out of every 100 Dutch inhabitants are within 1 kilometre of a green environment, such as a park or public garden, an open natural space or woodland area, according to Statistics Netherlands.
In various neighbourhoods around the country, residents need only travel 100 meters to reach the nearest park or public garden. The name of the neighbourhood often makes reference to the fact, as with the Oosterparkbuurt in Groningen, the Weteringpark in Wassenaar or the Julianapark in Rijswijk.
Besides parks, public gardens or open natural spaces, many Dutch residents can also easily go for a walk in the woods.
The average distance to the nearest woodland is 2,1 kilometres, although this distance varies widely within the Netherlands. In the rural Groene Hart (Green Heart) region of the Randstad and in the province of Friesland, woodland is relatively far away.
The total area of woodland is larger in the eastern part of the country than in the western part. The provinces of Gelderland, Drenthe, Overijssel, North Brabant and Limburg have many wooded areas.
Some residential areas are in close proximity to a park as well as open natural space. This also applies to the Randstad region, for example in the Azië (Asia) neighbourhood, south of the municipality of Delft. The average distance for the 2.800 residents of this neighbourhood to Abtswoude Park and a large green belt to the south of the town is 200 metres.
They also live at an average distance of 200 metres from a small, natural, wet area at the edge of the town. People living in this neighbourhood can also go to the Abstwoudse Bos, which is situated at an average distance of 1,2 kilometres.