An equitable spatial strategy for urban green space based on reconciling growing and shrinking neighbourhood at the parcel level

Sun, Cheng, Song, Xiaoqing, Cheng, Jianquan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9778-9009, Peng, Mingjun and Li, Xiangmei (2025) An equitable spatial strategy for urban green space based on reconciling growing and shrinking neighbourhood at the parcel level. Land Use Policy: the international journal covering all aspects of land use, 158. ISSN 0264-8377

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Abstract

Providing universal access to urban green spaces is a critical objective for cities worldwide in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. However, shifts in urban population distribution can lead to dynamic inequities, particularly during the periods of urban growth and shrinkage. This study proposed a spatial strategy to address dynamic urban green space inequity, considering the coexistence of growing and shrinking neighbourhoods within a city. A research framework is presented based on the nexus of transport-population-land. Using Wuhan, China, as a case study area, we first identified the spatio-temporal patterns of growing and shrinking neighbourhoods between 2015 and 2020. This analysis revealed a dynamic inequity and a spatio-temporal mismatch between urban green space per capita and population densities driven by population dynamics. We then examined the relationship between transport locations and population dynamics amongst neighbourhoods. This nexus was confirmed and utilised to propose a transport-oriented spatial strategy and a new space standard for reallocating green spaces at the parcel level. The study highlights the importance of demand-oriented equitable green space planning to address the dynamic inequities that follows rapid urbanisation.