Temporal trend of green space coverage in China and its relationship with urbanization over the last two decades

► The green space coverage in Chinese cities increased steadily from 1991 to 2009. ► Cities in the same region exhibited long-term similar trends of development. ► Population, land area and GDP significantly affected green space coverage. ► Per capita GDP had the highest independent contribution to green space coverage. ► A linear model to predict variance in green space was constructed.