Key:area

From OpenStreetMap

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area

Description:

Used to mark that a specific feature is a general area.

Group:

Properties

Element: help

Implies:

Tagwatch: help

Summary

The Tag area=yes indicates a general area. This Tag should be used together with other Tags that normally are used to mark a linear feature.

Some examples are the area around a toll both, a plaza for pedestrians or some turn around and the end of residential streets.

area=yes, in the context of roads, indicates that the area has no street lines within it.

How to Map

So, how can it be modelled in OSM? The road-ending-in-area-situation could look as follow in OSM:

To mark a specific area just draw the outline for it with a closed way. Use the specific Tag that describe this feature for example highway=residential. Now add the area=yes tag as well to indicate that this road is not just a circle but a closed area.