Characterizing the inequalities in urban public green space provision in Shenzhen, China

Public green spaces (PGSs) play a critical role in enhancing human well-being and urban quality of life. Characterizing the inequalities in PGSs provision can provide essential references for urban planning. This paper employs spatial regression to examine the PGSs provision in association with district sociodemographics in Shenzhen, China. In particular, district sociodemographics are described by ten variables from five aspects: income, occupation, education, demographic structure and housing arrangements. The PGSs provision is measured by six indicators from three aspects: quantity, accessibility, and quality. Results show that PGSs quantity declines with district disadvantage degree of income, occupation and housing. PGSs present lower quality in the wealthier neighborhoods but better quality in districts with housing disadvantage. The socioeconomically disadvantaged districts have more restricted access to PGSs. These findings demonstrate the inequalities in UPGSs provision in Shenzhen. This study informs urban planners of the ‘oasis and desert’ of PGSs provision across space.