Urban Green Space Assessment Index (UGSAI): A Novel GIS-based Measure for Assessing Green Spaces in Delhi

Urban green spaces (UGS) are essential for improving urban life and supporting sustainable development goals (SDGs 3, 11, 15). This study introduces Urban Green Spaces Assessment Index (UGSAI)—a novel, replicable framework—to evaluate UGS distribution across five Delhi municipalities using six attributes: Green Coverage (GC), Green Index (GI), Impermeable Surface Area (ISA), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Population Density (PD) and Buffer Index (BI). These attributes were weighted via Analytical Hierarchical Process, sensitivity-tested with Monte Carlo, and classified into five categories using k-means clustering. UGSAI reveals stark inequities. East (27.15 ± 16.35) and North Delhi (36.95 ± 16.93) showed lower mean UGSAI scores. New Delhi (68.21 ± 6.97), Cantonment area (64.22 ± 11.45) and South Delhi (46.16 ± 20.29) exhibited higher values. UGSAI showed a strong positive correlation with BI (0.98), GC (0.96) and NDVI (0.91), and a negative correlation with ISA (−0.77). Sensitivity analysis identified BI and NDVI as key UGSAI influencers. Despite a reported increase in Delhi’s green areas, UGS disparities persist, with improvements concentrated in affluent areas. Urban greening initiatives such as Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Green India Mission and Heat Action Plans should focus on underrepresented areas by converting vacant plots into easily accessible parks, enhancing existing UGS quality with denser and healthier vegetation. High-UGSAI areas like New Delhi can serve as models for better management of UGS.