Embracing green spaces: Exploring spatiotemporal changes in urban green space accessibility and its equity in Guangzhou, China for sustainable urban greening

As a vital component of urban green infrastructures, urban green space (UGS) provides essential ecological, recreational, and social-cultural services to urban residents. Ensuring adequate and equitable accessibility to UGS for all urban residents has become an integral aspect of promoting social justice. However, studies that comprehensively investigate the long-term changes in urban green space accessibility (UGSA) and its equity under rapid urbanization are scarce, thereby limiting the potential guidance for implementing nature-based solutions to enhance ecosystem services that benefit urban residents. In this study, taking Guangzhou, China, as the empirical study area, the UGSA and its equity during 2000–2015 were evaluated at the district level by combining the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method (Gaussian-based 2SFCA) and the Gini coefficient. Meanwhile, the changes in land cover and land use (LULC) were also investigated to reveal the dynamics of the UGS. Moreover, the long-term synchronous changes between UGSA and its equity were explored through a grouping analysis based on the four-quadrant method. The results revealed spatial heterogeneity in UGSA, with peri-urban districts having more accessibility to UGS compared to core-urban districts. The equity of UGSA exhibited an uneven spatial pattern, with most districts displaying consistently low levels of equality. The results of grouping analysis underscored the significance of considering both the improvements of UGSA and its equity in policy-making, leading to specific policy implications for each district. Our study provides valuable insights that can inform future urban spatial greening strategies and contribute to the promotion of sustainable urban development.