Effects of Urbanization on the Dynamics and Equity of Access to Urban Parks from 2000 to 2015 in Beijing, China

Abstract

Urban parks provide multiple ecosystem services as an important element of the urban space and improve human health and wellbeing. This study used the Gaussian-based 2SFCA method to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of and changes in park accessibility within the Sixth Ring Road in Beijing over 15 years. The study also used bivariate correlation analysis to analyze the relationship between urbanization factors and park access. The results showed that the overall park accessibility in both quantity and proximity had increased from 2000 to 2015, but there were still certain areas (percentage) that had limited access to parks. The inequity of distribution in park accessibility had been detected accompanying the rapid increase in park quantity in 2015. Furthermore, the development of urban parks mismatched that of urbanization in terms of urban land increase. The correlation between accessibility changes and population urbanization is not significant. Proper urban green space planning based on the distribution of population density and urban land use is indispensable in avoiding the aggravation of inequity in the process of urban expansion. This study contributes to the assessment of the current park allocation efficiency and helps urban planners and policymakers make prompt adjustments in the rapidly urbanizing process.

A New Strategy for Planning Urban Park Green Spaces by Considering Their Spatial Accessibility and Distributional Equity

“…Additionally, the evaluation also took into account various travel manners to satisfy different residents' travel needs to access different PGSs. For the demographic data used in the evaluation, the subdistrict-level population data were more detailed than the district-level data used in previous research [42]. From the perspective of research objects, previous similar studies have typically used the per capita area index as the capacity standard for all PGSs, without distinguishing PGS types [72,73].…”

“…Kong et al analyzed the effect of urbanization on the accessible equity of urban parks in Beijing from 2000 to 2015, and they concluded that urbanization impacted the number and accessibility of parks positively. However, there existed an inequity in park access in some regions [42]. The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve are commonly used in economics to measure the income disparity among residents of a country or region.…”

Urban Green Spaces Distribution and Disparities in Congested Populated Areas: A Geographical Assessment from Pakistan

“…Moreover, the fast replacement of vegetated spots with infrastructures and buildings has been associated with the spreading of diseases among urban citizens [12]. Therefore, healthy and green cities should be the criteria to ensure a healthy population [13].…”

“…Ref. [11] reported that indeed, not only the presence of greenness is important, but the accessibility to it is also a key factor for an ideal living space, even in cities rich in green spaces [13]. Accessibility at walking distance is imperative for enhancing the frequent fruition of vegetated and restorative areas because it encourages more frequent short trips [16].…”

Literature Review Reveals a Global Access Inequity to Urban Green Spaces

“…A recent comparative study of 290 Chinese cities revealed ubiquitous differences in UGS exposure between old and newly urbanized areas [8]. Rapidly urbanizing cities have been confronted with the sustainability issue of urban green system development and adding new parks might cause the increase in nearby housing prices and subsequent neighboring gentrification [9,10]. Although this inequity has been quantified and mapped, the underlying mechanisms of UGS access inequity and potential mitigation measures are not fully understood.…”