Making informal greenspaces available for recreation could help reduce inequity in access to nature

Sikorska, D. ., Laszkiewicz, E. ., Krauze, K. ., & Sikorski, P. . (2020). The role of informal green spaces in reducing inequalities in urban green space availability to children and seniors. Environmental Science & Policy, 108, 144-154. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.03.007

Unequal access to urban green space (UGS) is recognized by many as an environmental justice issue. Studies addressing this issue tend to focus on access to formally designated UGS, such as parks and urban forests. This study investigated the potential of informal green spaces (IGS) to complement existing formal UGS as one way to reduce inequity in access to greenspace.

The study was conducted in two Eastern-European cities, Warsaw and Lodz. Researchers used publicly available resources to obtain information about the availability of formal and informal UGS in the service area of 300 meters for each residential building. Formal green spaces were defined as “areas available to residents that are solely designated for recreation and which are managed by public authorities.” Such areas included public parks and green squares, cemeteries, allotment gardens and urban forests. Informal green spaces were defined as “all vegetated areas beyond the formal ones.” Such areas included both managed and unmanaged areas. Sports fields, airports, and railway greenspace are examples of managed IGS; protected natural areas, vacant lots, and industrial grounds are examples of unmanaged IGS. The study focused on two groups of citizens for whom the availability of UGS plays a particularly important role: children and elderly residents.

An analysis of the data showed that over 80% of residents in both cities do not have any formal UGS available within a 5-minute walk. The data also showed that IGS constitute a significant resource of greenness in both cities. In Lodz, IGS account for 85.43% of all vegetated areas; in Warsaw, this is 79.15%.  Additionally, over 76% of citizens in Lodz and over 46% in Warsaw have IGS in their immediate neighborhood. Residents in both cities, however, generally have limited access to IGS. In Lodz, children are the most disadvantaged group in terms of access to UGS; in Warsaw, it's elderly citizens.

This study indicates that IGS – if made accessible to residents – could help reduce inequity in access to greenspace. The results highlight the importance of making both managed and unmanaged IGS accessible to the public for recreation. It's especially important for city leaders to avoid designating unmanaged IGS as areas for development, as replacing IGS with built environments would widen the disparities in access to UGS and deny more people the benefits associated with direct contact with nature.

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