Evaluating the Effects of a Citizen-Participatory Green Space Policy in Enhancing Park Equity

Urban parks and green spaces are essential urban infrastructure that mitigate climate risks such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall while supporting citizens’ physical and mental well-being. However, in high-density urban areas, land-use constraints restrict the provision of large-scale parks, leading to persistent inequalities in park accessibility. Evaluating policy interventions that address these spatial inequities has become increasingly important in the context of climate adaptation and environmental justice.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a citizen-participatory green space policy—the Pocket Garden initiative—as a complementary strategy for enhancing park equity in areas with relatively low park accessibility. The policy supports residents in identifying underutilized urban spaces and actively participating in the creation and management of small-scale green spaces, providing an alternative form of green infrastructure in areas where new park development is limited.

A GIS-based network accessibility analysis was conducted using differentiated walking-time thresholds by park type: a 10-minute walking distance for neighborhood parks and arboretums, and a 5-minute walking distance for small parks such as children’s parks. The results show that areas benefiting from park services account for 70.6% of the city within the 10-minute threshold and 55.7% within the 5-minute threshold. The effects of Pocket Gardens were then examined in areas with relatively limited park access, indicating that these small-scale interventions help supplement local green space availability and mitigate accessibility gaps at the neighborhood level.

While Pocket Gardens cannot replace large urban parks in terms of scale or recreational capacity, the analysis shows that they play an important role in mitigating accessibility gaps in areas with limited park provision. Some Pocket Gardens identified and implemented by citizens were located within existing park service catchments, indicating that not all interventions directly target park-deprived areas. Nevertheless, these gardens contribute to strengthening local green space provision and addressing micro-scale inequities. In addition, differences in residents’ perceived benefits and experiential quality between Pocket Gardens and conventional parks remain a limitation, suggesting the need for further research on qualitative and perceptual dimensions of green space equity. From a policy perspective, this study highlights the potential of decentralized, community-driven green space strategies as a complementary climate adaptation approach that supports urban resilience and environmental equity.

*This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through Climate Change R&D Project for New Climate Regime Program, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE)(RS-2023-00221110)