Measures of Spatial and Demographic Disparities in Access to Urban Green Space in Harbin, China

Qian Xie,Ming Lu,Jun Yang

doi:10.1155/2020/8832343

Qian Xie, Ming Lu + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8832343

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Abstract

Access to urban green space (UGS) is associated with the enhancement of health and disparities in access generate issues of spatial equity and socioenvironmental justice. The aim of this study is to measure spatial accessibility and investigate access disparities to UGSs in urban areas of Harbin, China. A Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method and spatial autocorrelation analysis were used to measure the accessibility and evaluate its distribution patterns in residential tracts. Bivariate correlation was employed to examine the statistical relations between demographic characteristics of residential tracts and green space access. The results show that most residential tracts have minimal green space access within walking distance, while a few have limited access within cycling distance. Additionally, spatial disparities were found with low-accessibility tracts clustering in the center of the city, while high-accessibility tracts were located in northern and southern suburbs. Demographic disparities were also identified in the study: females have less access to UGS than males, areas with a high birth rate generally have more access, and population density is negatively associated with UGS access. The findings not only indicate that Harbin has an uneven distribution and disproportionate provision of UGS for urban residents but also identify which areas and population groups within the city are disadvantaged in access to UGS and thus provide suggestions for future construction and provision of UGS.

Highlights

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are the primary places within cities that offer inhabitants opportunities to engage in recreational and physical activities [1]
Achieving spatial and social-environmental equity has become the goal of UGS provision, which holds that people should have equitable opportunities to access and benefit from UGS independent of the location of their residence, demographic characteristics, or socioeconomic status [16,17,18,19]
Spatial Disparities in Accessibility. is study measures spatial disparities in accessibility across the four catchment sizes using a Gaussian 2SFCA. e results of the accessibility values were visualized using the exported ArcGIS maps (Figure 3), for which we employed a quantile method to classify the value. e four maps show UGS accessibility corresponding to CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS4. e values of accessibility signify the quantity of UGS per capita, which varies from 0 to 82.39 throughout the study area

Summary

Introduction

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are the primary places within cities that offer inhabitants opportunities to engage in recreational and physical activities [1]. Since UGS is a public environmental and natural resource that can supply urban ecosystem services and bring great health benefits to urban inhabitants [8, 9], access to UGS has become a popular research topic. Achieving spatial and social-environmental equity has become the goal of UGS provision, which holds that people should have equitable opportunities to access and benefit from UGS independent of the location of their residence, demographic characteristics, or socioeconomic status [16,17,18,19]. Erefore, measuring disparity and inequity becomes a necessary task in an attempt to achieve more equitable UGS provisions within a city. The task consists of three main processes: (i) measuring accessibility to UGS, (ii) evaluating disparities, and (iii) identifying which groups that have less access to UGS

Results

Discussion

Conclusion