Investigating spatial heterogeneity of park inequity using three access measures: A case study in Hartford, Connecticut

Abstract

Park inequity has been widely examined in U.S. cities, yet the results were inconclusive. This gap is possibly because of the consideration of one single aspect of access at a time and the lack of examination of spatial dependency and heterogeneity when modeling the relationship between park access and the socioeconomic status of populations. This study aims to contribute to these gaps in the studies of park equity by investigating park inequity using three access measures—park proximity, park congestion, and park crime—in Hartford, Connecticut. As a result, park proximity, park congestion, and park crime presented distinct spatial patterns and low correlations with each other. In addition, the results of geographically weighted regressions uncovered spatial heterogeneity in the relationships between the three park access measures and socioeconomic variables and confirmed that the relationships are location-specific with varying magnitudes and signs of the coefficients. In particular, median house value was associated with less park crowdedness particularly in White and Hispanic neighborhoods. Furthermore, southern neighborhoods showed more park crime disparities in relation to race, education, and income levels. The multidimensional and spatially heterogeneous patterns of park inequity inform urban planning on how to strategically allocate resources in pursuit of environmental justice.