Contrasting inequality in human exposure to greenspace between cities of Global North and Global South

Abstract

Abstract The United Nations specified the need for “providing universal access to greenspace for urban residents” in the 11th Sustainable Development Goal. Yet, how far we are from this goal remains unclear in the global context. Here, we developed a methodology incorporating fine-resolution population and greenspace mappings and used the results for 2020 to elucidate global differences in human exposure to greenspace, specifically at country, state, county, and city levels. We identified a contrasting pattern of greenspace exposure between Global South and North cities. Global South cities (14.39%) enjoy only one third of the greenspace exposure level of Global North cities (45.84%), even though the South cities are generally located in more rural countries. Greenspace exposure inequality (Gini index: 0.47) in Global South cities is nearly twice that of Global North cities (Gini index: 0.27). The spatial disparity is largely associated with differences in urban greenspace landscape (R2 = 79%). We quantified that 22% of the variation in greenspace exposure inequality is associated with greenspace provision, and that 53% is associated with the joint effect of greenspace provision and spatial configuration. These findings support the idea that urban green is, in economic terms, a normal good, with supply increasing with income, and our analysis is the first to reveal the global pattern of its deficit among urbanized parts of the planet. The results highlight the need for prioritizing greening policies and actions to mitigate environmental disparity and achieve sustainable development goals.

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