5 RGB: Resources in Green and Built environments
5.1 Introduction
RGB (Resources in Green and Built environments) aims to revolutionise our understanding of green and built environments.
The presence of nature and the configuration of built environments is a critical determinant of health, wellbeing and sustainability across the UK. Exposure to conducive environments has been shown to support physical activity, reduce stress and mitigate (the effects of) air pollution and extreme heat, with broader relevance for research on car dependence, deprivation, health inequality and prosperity.
Our Resources in Green and Built environments (RGB) data product lowers the barrier for researchers and policymakers by translating complex satellite imagery into accessible, tabular indicators characterising a given environment. RGB can then be easily linked with datasets covering social, economic, and health dimensions.
5.2 What does RGB offer?
RGB provides harmonised information on the presence, quality and characteristics of different types of green and built environments across the UK.
Drawing on sources such as 10-metre-resolution Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, it provides a consistent and regularly updated national view of the location, distribution, and temporal variation of components of the built environment, supporting comparisons across both places and time.
Our initial release will be at the LSOA level, and subsequent updates will broaden the menu of geographies available to best accommodate researchers’ needs.
5.3 What do we gain from understanding exposure to nature and built form?
Understanding questions such as where and whether green space is present, how compact urban development is, or to what extent both goals are compatible is essential for tackling health inequalities, designing for sustainability, and obtaining a more comprehensive picture of prosperity. RGB turns satellite data into insights that are useful, usable and widely used by researchers, urban planners and public health organisations exploring how exposure to nature and various built-up forms connects to health outcomes, social inclusion and environmental justice.
For policymakers, it highlights where investments could yield the greatest social benefits, particularly in communities facing multiple forms of deprivation. By translating satellite data into a usable, accessible format, RGB bridges the gap between environmental science, urban planning, and economics, providing a foundation for more equitable and sustainable urban and regional development.