Table 2 Descriptions of land use categories*

Reserve Parks [82]

“Over 27,000 parcels of land throughout Queensland have been set aside under the Land Act 1994 for a particular public or community purpose. These are either reserves or deeds of grant in trust and are collectively referred to as ‘trust land’. Many recreation facilities and parks and gardens, such as Anzac Park in Brisbane, are on trust land.”

Conservation Park and National Park [83]

Conservation Park and National Park are considered as protected areas.

Protected areas of Queensland represent those areas protected for the conservation of natural and cultural values and those areas managed for the production of forest resources, including timber and quarry material.

Queensland Recreation Areas [87]

A general purpose or large park usually in a residential area.

Sport Park; Recreation Park; Corridor Link Park; Natural Area Park area; Community Use Park; Landscape Amenity Park; Utility Park; Unclassified parks [84].

Sport Park

Park that provides an outdoor setting for formal, structured sports activities, including training, skills development and competition. Sport Park can be developed and used for one or more sport and is usually managed by a community sports club under a lease or license agreement with Council.

Recreation Park

Park provides an outdoor setting for recreation and social activities and events, including formal or structured activities and events (e.g., weddings, Parkrun) and informal or unstructured activities (e.g., picnics, walking). Recreation Park is usually available for public use at all times and can be used for a range of private and/ or commercial activities and events with Council consent.

Corridor Link Park

Park that comprises linear open, green spaces, such as creek corridors and road reserves, and is developed and managed to enable pedestrian and cyclist access and/ or protect and enhance important riparian and dryland corridor habitat.

Natural Area Park area

Park comprises areas of significant natural value, such as remnant bushland, koala habitat and protected vegetation, and is managed to protect and enhance these values as well as provide opportunities for the community to experience and learn about nature and natural values and participate in outdoor nature-based recreation.

Community Park

Park that provides a setting for community facilities and services, such as libraries, senior citizens centres, swimming pools, YMCAs, meals on wheels and guide/ scout huts. Community Park typically comprises a building or built facility with support infrastructure such as car parking. It can be single or multipurpose and is managed either by Council (e.g., library) or by a community or other organisation under a lease or license agreement with Council (e.g., aquatic centre, lapidary club). Public access to community park varies depending on the facility.

Landscape Amenity Park

Park that comprises areas of significant landscape and scenic amenity value, such as landmarks, signature points (e.g., a stand of significant trees), special landscape and natural features (e.g., a lake, rocky outcrop), views/ vistas and visual buffers (e.g., to incompatible land uses). Landscape amenity park is managed to protect and enhance these values and generally provides limited or no opportunities for recreational or community use.

Utility Park

Park that is developed and used for a range of utilities and services such as Council works depots, water reservoirs, quarries, high voltage power lines and roads. Utility Park is generally unrelated to other park functions and values and is not available (or suitable) for publicly access or use.

Unclassified Park

New Park has been added to the park database and is awaiting classification.

Australian Urban Observatory [85]

Public Open Space measures in the AUO include publicly available, parks and gardens, recreations fields, conservation areas (national parks, state forests, etc.), urban waterways (rivers, lakes, beaches etc.) and civic squares and promenades.