Tag:grass=amenity_grassland

This tag is designed to clarify just one of many different types of grassy area which are tagged with landuse=grass.

The term "Amenity Grassland" is widely used in professional and administrative circles to cover a range of grassy areas found in cities, towns and villages which are maintained for the amenity of residents or workers.

In general amenity grassland is maintained either by the local authority, or within large campus locations (schools, hospitals, universities, business parks) by the operator. Grass will be mowed on a regular basis through the growing season (2-3 weekly cycle) and damaged patches reseeded.

The main examples are:

• Playing Fields and Sports Pitches. These take a lot of abuse both from sports activity and regular mowing. They are seeded with grasses which are robust, and which may thrive with fertiliser.
• Parkland. The grass in most town parks will be amenity grassland.
• Small patches of grass with housing developments, perhaps with limited tree planting. Common in developments since the war.
• Village greens and similar areas in the centre of villages and small towns.
• Modern churchyards (i.e., ones not used (or formerly used) as a graveyard).

Photographic examples to follow.

236259456 236259456 (iD JOSM history)

When not to use the tag

In general the following tags can be presumed to be grass=amenity_grassland if they have a grass surface:

• leisure=park
• landuse=recreation_ground
• leisure=recreation_ground
• leisure=pitch
• landuse=village_green

However, certain exceptions should be recognised:

• Old parks incorporated into the townscape. Old parks (e.g., over 150 years) may well have completely different grassland types, depending on their origin.
• Pitches for sports requiring very fine grass: bowls, croquet, tennis and cricket wickets.
• Fine lawns of gardens and other places (e.g., Oxbridge College quads/courts).

Any landuse=grass which is primarily used for agricultural purposes (grazing, cutting for silage) should never be tagged with this combination.

Plant Community & Botany

The nature of usage & maintenance means that amenity grassland tends to have the same restricted mix of plants. Usually the main grass is Lolium perenne (Perennial Ryegrass, Sussgrass), with Crested-dog's-tail and Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua often present. Weeds will be one which can tolerate frequent mowing, and/or application of fertiliser: Daisies, Dandelions, White Clover, Common Mouse-ear.

Usually this will correspond to the plant community Lolio-Cynasoretum (MG6 grassland in UK NVC): a term which may be documented in many European languages.