Parks and People: Spatial and Social Equity Inquiry in Shanghai, China

Urban parks are essential public resources that contribute significantly to residents’ well-being. However, disparities in the spatial distribution and social benefits of urban parks remain a pressing issue. This study focuses on the central urban area of Shanghai, a representative high-density megacity, and its findings hold significant reference value for similar cities, systematically evaluating urban park services from the perspectives of accessibility, spatial equity, and social equity. Leveraging multi-source big data and enhanced analytical methods, this study examines disparities and spatial mismatches in park services. By incorporating dynamic data, such as actual visitor attendance and residents’ travel preferences, and improving analytical models, such as an enhanced Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method and spatial lag regression models, this research significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of its findings. Key findings include (1) significant variations in accessibility exist across different types of parks, with regional and city parks offering better accessibility compared to pocket parks and community parks. (2) Park resources are unevenly distributed, with neighborhoods within the inner ring exhibiting relatively low overall accessibility. (3) A spatial mismatch is observed between park accessibility and housing prices, highlighting equity concerns. The dual spatial-social imbalance phenomenon reveals the prevalent contradiction in rapidly urbanizing areas where public service provision lags behind land development. Based on these results, this study proposes targeted recommendations for optimizing urban park layouts, including increasing the supply of small parks in inner-ring areas, enhancing the multifunctionality of parks, and strengthening policy support for disadvantaged communities. These findings contribute new theoretical insights into urban park equity and fine-grained governance while offering valuable references for urban planning and policymaking.