Interpreting inclusive and equitable green infrastructure in the context of common prosperity: an evaluation and optimization of urban park inclusivity in Hangzhou

• Published in: Landscape and ecological engineering Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 357 - 377
• Main Authors: Shi, Wenwen, Mahdzar, Sharifah Salwa Syed, Liu, Yihong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.04.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; China; Civil Engineering; Correlation analysis; Design; Design factors; elderly; Environmental Management; Geriatrics; Green infrastructure; hybrids; International standards; issues and policy; Landscape Ecology; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; landscapes; Life Sciences; Nature Conservation; Older people; Optimization; Original Paper; Parks; Parks & recreation areas; Performance evaluation; Plant Ecology; Statistical analysis; Universal design; urban parks; Urbanization; Variance analysis; China; Inclusive design; Evaluation; Park inclusivity; Common prosperity; Optimization
• ISSN: 1860-1871; 1860-188X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11355-025-00645-w

With the acceleration of aging and urbanization, inclusive design in urban parks is becoming increasingly important. As part of the "common prosperity" pilot, Zhejiang Province, where Hangzhou is located, is advancing the goal of "equalization of basic public services." Inclusive design aims to ensure that all groups, including the elderly, children, and individuals with disabilities, can equally access public spaces. This study aims to systematically evaluate the inclusive performance of urban parks, with a focus on parks in Hangzhou as the empirical evidence. By adopting the AHP-Entropy hybrid weighted model, this study constructs an evaluation framework based on Chinese and international standards. Field surveys were conducted in 42 Hangzhou parks, and statistical analyses (e.g., ANOVA, correlation analysis) were used to identify internal and external factors influencing inclusive design. The evaluation results indicate that the inclusivity level of Hangzhou parks is moderately high, though certain detailed indicators show weaker performance. The study found variations in inclusivity performance across different types of parks, with a positive correlation between park area and inclusivity ( p = 0.367, p  < 0.05) and a negative correlation between time span and inclusivity ( p = − 0.491, p  < 0.01). The inclusivity performance of Hangzhou parks is heavily influenced by government-level strategic planning. The study proposes an optimization strategy combining top-down and bottom-up approaches to enhance inclusivity levels, with recommendations for improvements in policy, design, construction, and management.