Internationally Validated Open Access Indicators of Large Public Urban Green Space for Healthy and Sustainable Cities
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Large public urban green spaces (LPUGS) provide multiple health and environmental co‐benefits by mitigating urban heat, improving air quality and biodiversity, and promoting physical activity, social interactions, and mental wellbeing. There is a lack of accessible, evidence‐informed, and internationally validated LPUGS indicators to assist with benchmarking and monitoring progress toward healthy and sustainable cities globally. This study developed and validated internationally applicable spatial indicators of LPUGS availability and accessibility that are directly relevant to health and sustainability outcomes. For 13 cities across 10 middle‐ to high‐income countries, we identified LPUGS ≥ 1 ha by fusing OpenStreetMap and satellite‐derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data, and estimated residents' access within 500 m pedestrian network distance. We conducted a two‐step validation process with local collaborators in each city. Our indicator methods identified LPUGS with greater than 80% accuracy for 12 of the 13 cities, and comparisons against official local reference data for four cities further demonstrated validity. While some open data limitations were identified, the indicators address critical gaps in existing methods by enabling standardized and comparable measurement of LPUGS in diverse cities internationally. Our customizable open‐source global indicator tools can inform evidence‐based green space planning for urban health and sustainability.
Source: Geographical Analysis
DOI: 10.1111/gean.70023
Authors: Ryan Turner, Carl Higgs, Vuokko Heikinheimo, Ruth Hunter, Júlio Celso Borello Vargas, Shiqin Liu, Eugen Resendiz, Geoff Boeing, Deepti Adlakha, Rossano Schifanella, Giovani Longo Rosa, Daria Pugacheva, Ruoyu Chen, Mahtab Baghaie Poor, Javier Molina‐García, Ana Queralt, Anna Puig‐Ribera, Pau Serra del Pozo, Case Garza, Joanna Valson, Deborah Salvo, Ester Cerin, Erica Hinckson, Melanie Lowe
Institutions: RMIT University, Finnish Environment Institute, Queen's University Belfast, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, University of Minnesota, The University of Texas at Austin, Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Southern California, Delft University of Technology, Institute for Scientific Interchange, University of Turin, Technical University of Munich, Universitat de València, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Australian Catholic University, Auckland University of Technology
Language: English
Topic: Urban Green Space and Health
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,760
OpenAlex ID: W4414205111