Urban Green Space Inequity, Socioeconomic Disparities, and Potential Health Implications in Metropolitan Melbourne

Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide city residents contact with nature, offering mental and physical health benefits. However, residents’ access to green spaces in cities can be associated with their socioeconomic status (SESs). This study utilizes the Kernel Density tool as an innovative method to measure UGS inequities and their relationship with cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates. Next, the UGS patterns and their potential implications for CVD are examined across suburbs with a range of SES levels in Melbourne, Australia. The proposed method is tested in conjunction with two commonly used measures of accessibility (Network Analysis) and provision (UGS per capita). The results show that more advantaged suburbs have better access to UGS and lower CVD rates. Moreover, the analysis reveals that a more geographically dispersed UGS pattern, predominantly observed in higher SES suburbs, can be associated with lower CVD than a concentrated pattern, and the integration of the SES and UGS indicators through Kernel Density analysis reveals that inequitable access to green spaces disproportionately impacts the health incomes of socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Finally, the Kernel Density and Network Analysis tools in ArcGIS can serve as effective supplementary methods for addressing similar considerations in UGS planning and policy.