Green infrastructure provision for environmental justice: Application of the equity index in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Following decades of debate, there is a growing consensus that environmental justice is an important value that should be pursued in green infrastructure (GI) provision, though there is a limited understanding of the precise ways by which to measure and respond to environmental justice needs. By developing a GI Equity Index that has been adjusted to reflect the local situation in Haizhu District in Guangzhou, this research examines environmental justice problems in respect to the provision of GI and proposes an amendment to the future GI plan. The integrated equity index map provides a comprehensive picture of the urgency of GI provision: Communities with the highest 20% equity index value are concentrated in the central part of Haizhu, which is a combination of an old city and villages. These areas are also where most of the urban waterlogging points are situated, and the loss would thus be greater. Unfortunately, these areas have been ignored by the Sponge City Plan of Guangzhou (2016–2030). This has led to a proposal in this research to adjust the GI plan: Additional green amenities should be provided in neighbourhoods with high GI equity index values. Such amenities could include small parks and playgrounds in densely developed central cities, or the replacement of impervious surfaces with permeable surfaces, etc.