•Urban authorities often focus on a fraction of urban green spaces.•They refer to those for which they are formally responsible.•Agricultural land, private and informal green spaces are left out of ...their scope.•Meanwhile all green spaces count in light of green infrastructure and ecosystem services concepts.•Many datasets which provide a more complex picture are freely accessible to public institutions.
Effective urban planning, and urban green space management in particular, require proper data on urban green spaces. The potential of urban green spaces to provide benefits to urban inhabitants (ecosystem services) depends on whether they are managed as a comprehensive system of urban green infrastructure, or as isolated islands falling under the responsibility of different stakeholders. Meanwhile, different urban green space datasets are based on different definitions, data sources, sampling techniques, time periods and scales, which poses important challenges to urban green infrastructure planning, management and research. Using the case study of Lodz, the third largest city in Poland, and an additional analysis of 17 other Polish cities, we compare data from five publicly available sources: 1) public statistics, 2) the national land surveying agency, 3) satellite imagery (Landsat data), 4) the Urban Atlas, 5) the Open Street Map. The results reveal large differences in the total amount of urban green spaces in the cities as depicted in different datasets. In Lodz, the narrowly interpreted public statistics data, which are aspatial, suggest that green spaces account for only 12.8% of city area, while the most comprehensive dataset from the national land surveying agency reveals the figure of 61.2%. The former dataset, which excludes many types of green spaces (such as arable land, private and informal green spaces), is still the most commonly used. The analysis of the 17 other cities confirms the same pattern. This results in broader institutional failures related to urban green infrastructure planning, management, and research, including a lack of awareness of green space quality (e.g. connectivity) and benefits (ecosystem services), and the related political disregard for urban green spaces. Our comparison suggests that a better understanding of green space data sources is necessary in urban planning, and especially when planning urban green infrastructure.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•We propose an accessibility model that includes quality and actual travel distance.•Inequalities in access to valued green space characteristics are revealed.•Low-income groups have less access to ...green spaces with high restorative potential.•Findings show differences in revealed and normative travel patterns.
Access to urban green space (UGS) is associated with a number of physical and social benefits. Recognizing the importance of UGS access for people’s wellbeing, several methods have been proposed to model UGS accessibility and highlight areas underserviced by UGS. However, existing methodologies have several limitations. Models often make use of universal, normative maximum travel distances, which may not reflect the distances people actually travel to reach UGS they regularly visit. Additionally, many of these analyses do not consider UGS quality, which will largely influence use and experience of these spaces and may act as a pull factor affecting the distance people are willing to travel to visit a UGS. Those methods that do integrate quality often rely on proxies, such as size or number of amenities, and fail to consider perceived quality. To address these limitations, we propose a methodology that integrates user perception and the actual distance people are prepared to travel into a quality-accessibility (QA) analysis applied at the building block scale. Information on travel distance and quality are gathered from a public participation GIS survey conducted in the Brussels Capital Region. The results of the analysis highlight inequalities in access to specific, essential UGS experiences throughout the region. Insights provided by this analysis can help planners prioritize interventions to improve access to experiences provided by UGS in parts of the city where interventions are most needed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
People's exposure to green space is a critical link between urban green space and urban residents' health. Since green space may affect human health through multiple pathways regarding diverse human ...health outcomes, the measurement of people's exposure to green space must be tailored to concrete study contexts and research questions. In this scoping review, we systematically categorized the available green space representations and metrics in the last two decades that can be used to derive people's exposure to green space regarding different research topics. A three-phase systematic review was conducted after a generalized search of relevant research articles from the three most-used publication databases, namely Scopus, the Web of Science, and PubMed. We identified 260 research articles that particularly discuss green space representations and metrics. We further developed a multi-pathway framework to articulate the complicated context issues in green space studies. We categorized the most relevant green space representations and metrics into five groups, including green space indices, the delineation, inventory, and usage of green space, the spatiotemporal evolution of green space, the attributes and components of green space, and the green space landscape and fragmentation. Finally, we discussed the inter-conversion between different green space representations and metrics, the “mobility-turn” in green space studies and how it may affect the derivation of people's exposure to green space, and other potential methodological issues in measuring people's exposure to green space. Our scoping review provides the most comprehensive framework and categories for deriving people's exposure to green space to date, which may strongly support a broad range of studies that concern green space's health effects.
•We systematically categorized green space representations and metrics in the last two decades.•A three-phase systematic review was conducted after a generalized search of relevant articles.•We developed a multi-pathway framework to articulate the complicated context issues in green space studies.•We categorized the most relevant green space representations and metrics into 5 groups.•We discussed how the mobility turn may affect the derivation of people's exposure to green space.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Facilities with garden use green spaces more often than facilities without garden.•Access to green spaces is a main reason to visit green spaces.•Gardens are important for active recreation and ...socialization.•Gardens are lacking possibilities for nature observation.•More efforts are necessary to consider age-sensitive amenities.
Urban green spaces (UGS) are increasingly acknowledged for their importance for the well-being of urban populations. However, studies are lacking the consideration of the demand and use of UGS by different population groups and connecting UGS with social infrastructure. In an era of worldwide urbanization and ageing, this European study sheds light on the role of UGS for care facilities for elderly. 126 care facilities from 17 cities in Austria, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania and Slovenia took part in an online survey. Administrations of care facilities gave insights on the (1) importance of gardens related to care facilities for the quality of life for the seniors, (2) importance of UGS outside of care facilities for the quality of life for the seniors and (3) the consideration of natural and age-friendly designs and management of ecosystem disservices of UGS. The results emphasize not only the importance of UGS for the quality of life of seniors residing in care facilities, but also for the staff and visitors. UGS contribute to physical activities, recreation, and social interactions. The study found that in particular facilities with an own garden are highly aware of the benefits UGS provide. The study holds important lessons for UGS planning, management and design not only to focus on the quantitative supply of UGS, but also to consider age-sensitive amenities in and access to UGS of high quality for seniors.
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The plausible role of nearby green space in influencing prosocial behaviour among children and adolescents has been studied recently. However, no review has been conducted of the evidence testing the ...association between green space and prosocial behaviour. This systematic review addresses this gap among children and adolescents. Within this review, we propose a conceptual framework describing potential pathways linking green space to prosocial behaviour, discuss the direction, magnitude, moderators, and mediators of the association, and develop a narrative synthesis of future study directions. Out of 63 extracted associations from 15 studies, 44 were in the positive or expected direction, of which 18 were reported to be statistically significant (
< 0.05). Overall, the current evidence shows that exposure to green space may potentially increase prosocial behaviour among children and adolescents, with some contingencies (e.g., child's sex and ethnic background). However, the volume and quality of this evidence is not yet sufficient to draw conclusions on causality. Further, heterogeneity in the indicators of green space exposure could lead to mixed findings. In addition, none of the included studies investigated potential mediators. Nevertheless, this review provides preliminary evidence and a basis for further investigation with rigorous study methodology capable of drawing causal inferences and testing potential effect modifiers, linking pathways, and relevant green space measures.
Air pollution and greenness are environmental determinants of mental health, though existing evidence typically considers each exposure in isolation. We evaluated relationships between co-occurring ...air pollution and greenspace levels and depression and anxiety. We estimated cross-sectional associations among 9015 Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study participants living in the southeastern U.S. who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (depression: score ≥ 10) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 (anxiety: score ≥ 10). Participant residential addresses were linked to annual average concentrations of particulate matter (1 km PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (1 km NO2), as well as satellite-based greenness (2 km Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)). We used adjusted log-binomial regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for associations between exposures (quartiles) and depression and anxiety. In mutually adjusted models (simultaneously modeling PM2.5, NO2, and EVI), the highest quartile of PM2.5 was associated with increased prevalence of depression (PR = 1.17, 95 % CI: 1.06–1.29), whereas the highest quartile of greenness was inversely associated with depression (PR = 0.89, 95 % CI: 0.80–0.99). Joint exposure to greenness mitigated the impact of PM2.5 on depression (PRPM only = 1.20, 95 % CI: 1.06–1.36; PRPM+green = 0.98, 95 % CI: 0.83–1.16) and anxiety (PRPM only = 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.00–1.22; PRPM+green = 0.95, 95 % CI: 0.83–1.09) overall and in subgroup analyses. Observed associations were stronger in urbanized areas and among nonwhite participants, and varied by neighborhood deprivation. NO2 exposure was not independently associated with depression or anxiety in this population. Relationships between PM2.5, greenness, and depression were strongest in the presence of characteristics that are highly correlated with lower socioeconomic status, underscoring the need to consider mental health as an environmental justice issue.
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•PM2.5 was associated with increased prevalence of depression.•Higher exposure to greenness was inversely associated with depression.•NO2 exposure was not independently associated with depression or anxiety.•Joint exposure to greenness mitigated the impact of PM2.5 on depression and anxiety.•Observed associations were stronger in urban areas and among nonwhite participants.•Relationships with depression were strongest in the presence of lower socioeconomic status.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Urban green space (UGS) provision across cities is often assessed from per capita quantities. However these aggregate measures say little about the actual use of UGS because they ignore the relative ...location of UGS and citizens. Spatial accessibility approaches consider this relative location but mostly assume that benefits happen within close proximity of residences. We challenge this assumption for three European cities comparatively, based on similarly acquired survey data. We study which factors influence how far people travel to their most used UGS, as defined by users themselves. We find that travelled distances (1.4–1.9 km) and inter-city differences are surprisingly high compared to the few hundred meters set in policy targets and accessibility analyses. We identify socio-demographic effects and a role for perceived rather than objective quality of local UGS. More than a spatial interaction trade-off between proximity and size, our results suggest that UGS visits are part of a more complex set of activities, further away from residences and with a diversity of sizes and proximities. Our results call for a re-evaluation of UGS analytical practices and provision policies beyond aggregate and accessibility perspectives, towards multi-scalar and spatially varying measures.
•Distances travelled to the most used green space far exceed accessibility recommendations.•Age, occupational status, education and nationality have key effects on distances travelled.•Urban green space size and their provision in proximity seldom impact the distance travelled.•Perception of local green space provision matters more than objective measures of the provision.•Large variations across our 3 cities call for further comparative research.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Study of income and ethnic variations in the quality of urban park systems among U.S. cities.•The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore is used to compare park systems.•Lower-income minority cities ...experience inequities in ParkScore and park spending.•Majority-Latino cities are particularly disadvantaged.•City-level inequities reflect neighborhood-level disparities emerged in previous work.
A growing body of research shows affluent White neighborhoods have more acres of parks and more park facilities than low-income ethnic minority communities in many Global North cities. Most of these investigations focused on neighborhood-level differences and did not analyze broader inequities across cities. This is a particularly significant limitation in the U.S., where changes in the political economy of parks due to a reduced local tax base have led cities to compete against each other to secure park funding from national nonprofits and public agencies. To address this gap, we examined whether the quality of urban park systems – measured through The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore – varies depending on a city’s median income and ethnic composition. Based on multivariate regressions in which we control for features of the urban fabric, we found U.S. cities with higher median incomes and lower percentages of Latino and Non-Hispanic Black residents have higher ParkScores than other cities. Some inequities also emerged for park coverage, park spending per person, and park facilities, with majority-Latino cities being particularly disadvantaged. These findings echo the results of neighborhood-level studies in Global North contexts, suggesting neighborhood-level inequities in park provision might scale up to inequities across cities. This study contributes to environmental justice theory and advocacy by demonstrating the importance of scaling up analyses of park provision to cross-city comparisons. Implications for landscape planning, public policy, and grant-making are discussed.
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Poorer citizens are often more exposed to environmental hazards due to spatial inequalities in the distribution of urban blue-green space. Few cities have managed to prevent spatial and social ...inequality despite sustainable development strategies like compact city planning. We explore whether environmental injustice exists in a city where one would least expect to find it: a city with abundant nature, an affluent population governed by a left leaning social democratic city council, and an aggressive densification strategy; Oslo, Norway. Green space was measured with a satellite-derived vegetation index which captures the combined availability of gardens, street trees, parks and forest. Blue space was defined by the proximity of residential areas to the closest lake, river or fjord. We found that poorer city districts, often with greater immigrant populations, have less available blue-green spaces and are disproportionately exposed to hazardous air pollution levels, but not extreme heat compared to wealthier city districts. Citizens living within 100 m of a water body are likely to earn US$ 20,000 more per year than citizens living 500 m away from water, and a US$ 3000 increase in annual income corresponds to a 10 % increase in green space availability. Hazardous air pollution concentrations in the poorest city districts were above levels recommended by the WHO and Oslo municipality. Historical trends showed that districts undergoing population densification coincide with the lowest availability of blue-green space, suggesting that environmental justice has been overlooked in compact city planning policy. Despite Oslo's affluence and egalitarian ideals, the patterns of inequality we observed mirror the city's historical east-west class divide and point to spatial concentration of wealth as a core factor to consider in studies of green segregation. Urban greening initiatives in Oslo and other cities should not take spatial equality for granted, and instead consider socio-economic geographies in their planning process.
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•We expected to find environmental justice in Oslo given its reputation for sustainability and abundance of nature•Yet we found spatial inequality in the availability of blue-green space•Poorer citizens are surrounded by less urban nature and are more exposed to air pollution and heat•Our findings illustrate how social sustainability is often overlooked in urban densification agendas
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