Compact urban development and green space accessibility: Micro-evidence from Chinese cities

Green spaces have been proven to significantly enhance physical and mental health, and optimizing urban layouts is widely recognized as a key strategy to improve the accessibility of such beneficial environments. Based on the data of 450,000 individual questionnaires covering 59 cities nationwide, provided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China in 2021, this study uses an econometric model to explore the impact of urban compactness on individual green space accessibility and its underlying mechanisms. The findings show that compact urban form exerts a positive impact on green space accessibility, and this positive effect is mainly driven by relatively scattered and sprawling cities rather than already compact ones. The improvement effect of compact development on green space accessibility only has practical significance when the compactness index is ≥ 2. This moderate positive net effect stems from the balance of multiple mechanisms: the positive mediating role of transportation convenience is stronger than that of spatial proximity, while the crowding-out effect on green space scale serves as the primary negative constraint with a more significant impact than density discomfort. Optimizing urban form to improve green space accessibility is crucial for urban air purification, microclimate regulation, and residents' recreational well-being. The research results provide valuable references for policymakers to improve urban spatial structures and advance the construction of green cities.