Proximity-Based Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces Using WHO Indicators in Timișoara, Romania: Spatial Distance, Walking Time, and Green Space Area per Capita

The assessment of the degree of accessibility of urban green spaces for the population of the city of Timișoara (Romania) was carried out by taking into account the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). These recommendations address the proximity accessibility of urban green spaces, operationalized through two main indicators: (1) proximity accessibility defined through two metrics–spatial distance and walking time between urban green spaces and residents’ dwellings; and (2) proximity accessibility defined by the area of urban green space available per urban resident capita. Based on the distance and walking time between residential areas and urban green spaces, accessibility classes were established, according to which the city’s green spaces were classified into distinct categories. Even under a simplified Euclidean centroid-to-centroid approach, the measured distances of urban green space accessibility exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended 300 m threshold for optimal access by a factor of 2 to 9 in the city of Timișoara. The measurements showed that none of the 48 studied neighborhoods of the city of Timișoara benefits from access to a public urban green space located at a distance of less than 200 m from the dwelling, according to the classification used in this study, and that only a single neighborhood has access to a public urban green space located at a distance of up to 300 m, as recommended by the WHO. The analysis indicated that for each resident of the city of Timișoara, an area of 8.4 m 2 of urban green space is allocated, a value below the WHO recommendation of 9 m 2 and below the legal threshold of 26 m 2 established by Romanian national legislation. Consequently, the city of Timișoara does not meet either the values established by national legislation or the authoritative international recommendations (WHO) regarding the standard of urban green space per capita, nor the accessibility criteria expressed as distance and walking time from residents’ dwellings to the nearest public urban green space. The results of the study show that, in relation to international standards and national obligations, Timișoara faces a severe deficit of urban green space, which affects the ecological, social, and health functions of the city. The obtained values highlight both a quantitative problem and a structural one, characterized by an uneven distribution and reduced accessibility of green spaces in most neighborhoods, with green spaces concentrated in the central area and limited access for many residents. This situation underscores the need for a strategic reconfiguration of urban policies, oriented toward increasing green capital and ensuring balanced, sustainable urban development aligned with contemporary standards. Urban policy implications include the strategic development of new green spaces in underserved neighborhoods, the establishment of pedestrian and green corridors to reduce travel time, and the redesign of pedestrian connectivity to major parks. These interventions would help reduce territorial inequalities and strengthen the city’s resilience.