Greener Together: How Aberdeenshire Council is pioneering cross-functional green space insights

Summary

Aberdeenshire Council has been working with Bluesky International to assess residents’ access and proximity to trees and green spaces using a new analysis service that applies the increasingly popular 3+30+300 research rule. Key points:

• 3+30+300 research rule applied to support health, housing, infrastructure and green space strategies
• Analysis visuals support resident engagement activities
• 3+30+300 analysis created using Great Britain’s only comprehensive tree mapping dataset

Background

In recent years, urban design has seen a shift to include sustainability, liveability, and urban greening. Studies have shown that access to nature in urban environments has positive impacts on both physical and mental health, as well as the natural environment. Identifying areas to increase urban greening and provide an equitable distribution of tree and green space cover is becoming increasingly important in a bid to make our urban areas resilient, healthy, and sustainable. 

Nature based solutions institute (NBSI)’s co-director Cecil Konijnendijk launched a rule of thumb for urban forestry and urban greening in early 2021: the 3+30+300 rule. This rule focuses on the crucial contributions of urban trees and other urban nature to our health and wellbeing, as well as climate change adaptation. According to this rule, there should be 3 trees in line of sight, 30 per cent canopy coverage, and green space within 300 metres of all residential and workplace buildings.

Methodology

The Aberdeenshire Council has found the visual representations Bluesky has been able to provide using 3+30+300 analysis and the National Tree MapTM (NTM) data, has helped facilitate a wider discussion with local communities about the importance of urban trees, with clear representations of tree and green space locations. 

The analysis for Inverurie area in Aberdeenshire was completed as part of a pilot project with Bluesky International with no financial cost to the Council.

Early feedback

Fiona Chirnside, an Environmental Planner at Aberdeenshire Council

“We have applied the analysis from Bluesky, which uses the 3+30+300 rule in conjunction with their NTMTM data, for cross-service discussions specifically for the Inverurie area, as part of the development of a corporate place plan for the settlement.  

“Services from across the Council, even those who perhaps wouldn’t necessarily see trees or green spaces as part of their remit, can benefit from this information whether it’s for future project planning, resident engagement, or grant applications. We have had interest from colleagues in our Roads and Education teams and from our Health & Social Care Partnership and using the 3+30+300 analysis has meant we can demonstrate the impact location to trees and green spaces can have, especially when we overlay with our social economic data.” 

Cllr Sarah Dickinson, chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Sustainability Committee

 “Greenspaces and trees provide us with so many environmental benefits and that alone is reason enough to be excited about this project. But we often overlook the amazing benefits for ourselves—our health and wellbeing—that these spaces provide. Access to nature is so important: for our mental health, for our air quality, to be able to take part in outdoor physical activity, and that is what makes the focus of this project so special.”  

Residents in particular have found visuals produced from the analysis useful, enabling them to clearly understand tree cover, in turn enabling discussion and increasing interest in trees.

Eleanor Munro, Environmental Planner

“The 3+30+300 analysis visuals have significantly boosted our ability to engage with the community and, working together, they will help identify suitable tree planting locations in the town that will align to the rule for the benefit of the community.”

Relevant transformational adaptation principle(s)

Systems Thinking: is about looking at the bigger picture – how different sectors, places, and people are connected – and making sure actions in one area don’t cause problems in another. It means working across boundaries, creating benefits for people and nature, and being fair about who carries the costs.

By making 3+30+300 tree-cover data available to teams across departments, the council has reconfigured its internal decision-making processes – moving from siloed projects to a unified, system-wide approach that embeds green-space considerations across all functions.

Active engagement: Lasting change depends on genuine collaboration with communities. This is about working together over time, recognising that emotions and values shape how people see risk, and building a shared vision for the future of each place.

Clear, map-based visuals equip residents with actionable insights into local tree-cover gaps, boosting community adaptive capacity by turning abstract data into shared understanding and enabling informed participation.

Targeted vulnerability assessment: To adapt well, we need to understand why certain people and places are most at risk, from both environmental and social pressures. This focuses on tackling root causes of vulnerability, making adaptation fair, and planning with future generations in mind

Collaborative identification of planting sites, guided by 3+30+300 overlays combined with socio-economic data, fosters genuine co-design, ensuring that adaptation measures address root vulnerabilities and distribute benefits fairly across neighbourhoods.

Suggested Citation

Aberdeenshire Council. (2025, May 1). Leading the Way with Cross-Function Application of Green Space Analysis. Aberdeenshire Council News Centre. https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/news/2025/may/leading-the-way-with-cross-function-application-of-green-space-analysis