Proposed features/Civic admin

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Status: Draft (under way)
Proposed by: Javbw
Tagging: landuse=[[Tag:landuse=<tt style="background:#EEF;">civic_admin|civic_admin]]</tt>
Applies to: Node Area
Definition: Introduction of new value of landuse=* for Civic / Governmental / public institutional administration building landuse areas.
Rendered as: unknown. Dark blue color suggested
Drafted on: 2015-3-04


A new landuse=* value for civil government buildings & complexes where citizens or services for citizens are managed. This includes legislative and executive centers, as well as administrative offices for government programs and mixed-use governmental complexes, such as most "city hall" complexes.


Mapping the extent of governmental complexes and buildings found in most towns and cities is very useful, and differentiation of the landuse from landuse=commercial is vital.

In some countries, visiting local government offices may just be a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles every few years, but in other countries, local and regional government offices play a vital role in the lives of citizens, requiring visits on monthly basis for administration of services.

Most people think of these government offices or complexes differently than a standard commercial building complex - and are often mapped and labeled differently than standard office buildings or complexes. Correctly mapping and tagging their location is a very basic and common class of landuse that is worth mapping.

because many of the complexes are multi-building, but usually referred to by a single name, the proposed tag of landuse=civic_admin aides in not only defining the boundary of the complex, but also properly classifying the landuse, and giving the chance for a proper name to be given to the complex, separate from the buildings, in some instances.

Missing Landuses

Below is a matrix of landuse class values. Although most information in OSM is conveyed by tags on the building or point, general information is easily inferred through the landuse area, and is a vital part of certain specific tagging schemes, particularly retail, commercial, and industrial complexes. Extending this to civic buildings that are usually found in almost all developed towns/cities/capitals is a very helpful extention of the landuse tag.

Building=* values (minimum values) Landuse=* values landuse includes:
house & apartments residential all manner of homes, from cottages, to massive housing developments.
retail + shop=* retail all manner of retail establishments, from corner shops to mega malls.
commercial commercial covers all manner of commercial buildings, from small offices to corporate complexes and office buildings.
industrial industrial covers all the different industrial activities, from ore processing to car manufacturing, and everything else.
amenity=post_office community_centre, library, swimming_pool, and mixed use service complexes no land use currently For buildings or complexes that offer direct services to the citizens usually administrated by the government.
amenity=townhall, capital, legislative, & administrative buildings, as well as mixed use facilities. Proposed civic_admin Administration buildings are missing their own landuse & subtag (similar to shop=*) to cover the rest of governmental admin offices, such as department of motor vehicles, pension, insurance, tax, and other government offices that a citizen visits.
hospital, Fire_station, police, and other safety services emergency_service=* No landuse currently Hospitals are excluded, as they have their own "landuse" through the grounds tag. This is for other basic safety services - like police, fire, lifeguard, and other civil saftey services.
courthouse and other Judical buildings no landuse currently Judicial buildings, from local, regional, and national courthouses to appeals courts, the "Governmental attorney's office", and international arbitration centers.
mosque, church, temple, shrine religious (New) the areas used by all the myriad of different religions, in different usage cases.

What to Include?

civic_admin is for mapping the land taken up by a large government administration complex or a singular government building - such as a US Federal Building, a city hall complex, a regional capital, or other landuses whose primary purpose is where citizens interact with government civil service workers or where workers manage civil programs.

  • City Halls, capitals, and other executive buildings.
  • Legislative or assembly centers
  • Mixed use complexes for civil government, which include a amenity=townhall among the buildings.
  • Civil Government program offices, such as licensing, taxation, and other governmental program offices.
  • Support or satellite offices for the main offices (regional or local branch offices).
  • Immigration and visa offices (not checkpoints, but the issuing offices).

What to exclude & limitations

Currently, civic_admin is not intended for buildings used primarily for civic services, military facilities, or to show basic ownership of land.

So it is not for:

  • civic service buildings, such as community centers, post offices, rec centers, and other primarily service oriented buildings, except in mixed use complex cases.
  • civic safety services - such as fire stations or police offices, except in mixed-use complex cases.
  • military installations or facilities with a primarily military or military administration function.
  • land owned by a governmental agency, or land where conservation, management, or works construction is occurring.
  •  defining landuse beyond the basic purpose of "civil government landuse" - buildings and points should be tagged in the landuse area to further define the purpose.

How to Map

create an area that represents the landuse of the complex, usually defined by bordering walls, fences, and roads. tag with civic_admin. Additionally the name of the complex and the address may be applicable to the landuse.

map the buildings as appropriate, using building=civic or more specific building tags, then add the name and address if applicable, as well as map other amenities, such as driveways, parking and other mappable features. townhall is one of the few tags for defining the purpose of public administration buildings, but I hope to extend this in a later proposal (either through additional amenity=* key values or a new civic=* key.

For an example of a mixed-use executive/legislative complex on a single landuse, please look at The Gunma Prefectural Government Office (complex)

There are 4 major buildings - an assembly building, a regional capitol and governmental building, a historic capitol building, and the regional police headquarters on a single named landuse.