From quantity to quality: Effects of urban greenness on life satisfaction and social inequality

• Published in: Landscape and urban planning Vol. 238; p. 104843
• Main Authors: Wu, Wenjie, Tan, Wenxuan, Wang, Ruoyu, Chen, Wendy Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Beijing; Life satisfaction; Multi-dimensionality of urban greenspaces; Neighborhood greenness; Social inequality; Neighborhood greenness; Beijing; Social inequality; Life satisfaction; Multi-dimensionality of urban greenspaces
• ISSN: 0169-2046; 1872-6062
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104843

•Both quantity and quality of greenspaces contribute positively to life satisfaction.•Quality dimensions play stronger roles than quantity dimensions.•The nexus of greenness and life satisfaction varies amongst different social groups.•Urban greening is central for improving life satisfaction and narrowing inequalities. Although a burgeoning literature has focused on greenspace quantity and relevant contribution to life satisfaction, little effort has been devoted to greenspace quality and nuanced differences in shaping the nexus of urban greenness and life satisfaction across social groups. Taking Beijing as an example, this study attempts to (1) explore the effects of both the quantity (availability and accessibility) and the quality (attractiveness and natural aesthetics) of neighborhood greenspaces on residents’ subjective life satisfaction, and (2) examine the heterogeneity in these effects across different social groups defined by household registration and housing status. Combining geo-coded, street-level residential greenness exposure data and city-scale social survey data in a multilevel ordered logit model, the results reveal that greenness quality play more pronounced roles, while both quantity and quality features could contribute positively to life satisfaction. When interacting quantity dimensions with quality ones, evident complementary roles of greenspace quality are detected. The impacts of four greenspace dimensions on life satisfaction are stronger for residents with Beijing hukou than those without. While availability becomes insignificant for residents in private-housing, and natural aesthetics is insignificant for those in social-housing. This study enriches our understanding of the nexus between multi-dimensions of urban greenspaces and life satisfaction, and complements existing research on green inequality to how unequal greenness in terms of quantity and quality affects individuals’ life satisfaction across different social strata. Our findings offer useful insights for fleshing out urban greening as central to crafting livable cities that can improve population life satisfaction and narrow inequalities.