Abstract
It is generally agreed that green space has a positive effect on the health and well-being of urban residents. A number of papers have studied the relationship between green space and various sociodemographic characteristics; however, little is known about how perceptions of green space affect health and well-being differently between men and women. Such knowledge is significant for informing policy makers in designing urban green space to benefit the health and well-being of all people. In addition, urban greening has rarely been studied in the context of the UN 2030 Agenda and the UN New Urban Agenda. This study examines gender disparities in perceived green space and health and well-being, the effect of perceived green space, personal, and family variables on subjective health and well-being, and the interactive effects of perceived green space, personal, and family variables on health and well-being. The analyses were based on a survey of 9325 participants in 40 Chinese cities, using the Geographical Detector method. The results suggest that men tend to have a higher perception of green space but lower subjective health and well-being than women. Compared to health, well-being is more affected by perception of urban green space and personal and family factors. Perception of urban green space has a higher effect on men’s health and well-being than women’s. Women’s health and well-being tends to be more affected by personal and family factors than men’s. There are clear interactive effects of perceived green space, personal, and family variables on health and well-being. The combined effect is greater than the sum of individual effects on health and well-being, suggesting complexity in sustainable urban green space development with attention to gender equality in the context of the UN Agendas for sustainable development.
Highlights
In our current fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, urban greening plays an important role in reducing stress and anxiety and contributing to residents’ well-being [1]
It has been reported that the perception of urban green space has a significant impact on residents’ subjective health and well-being [17,18,19]
Women tended to have a higher perception of subjective health and well-being than men (Table 1)
Summary
In our current fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, urban greening plays an important role in reducing stress and anxiety and contributing to residents’ well-being [1]. Urban greening in particular would help the poor neighborhood and enhance health equity [3,4,5]. Urban greening has been widely promoted as it positively impacts residents’ physical and mental health [3]. It helps to reduce psychological stress, enhance immune function, promote physical activity and social integration, and improve air quality [6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. It has been reported that the perception of urban green space has a significant impact on residents’ subjective health and well-being [17,18,19]. While many strategies for sustainable urban greening [22] and forms of urban green equity have been developed with recognition of the different stakeholders involved, these studies have largely failed to consider gender equality in green space [23]
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