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Measuring children's spatial accessibility to urban park green spaces
Alireza Mohammadi1, Roya Moghabeli2, Arshad Ahmed3
1Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. a.mohammadi@uma.ac.ir.
Scientific Reports
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Urban planning significantly impacts children's access to green spaces. Many children lack park access, highlighting disparities in urban areas and the need for child-centered planning to promote health and sustainable cities.
Area of Science:
- Urban Planning
- Environmental Health
- Spatial Analysis
Background:
- Children's development relies on urban green spaces, access to which is uneven, especially in rapidly urbanizing cities.
- Inequitable distribution of parks affects children's physical, mental, and social well-being.
- Child-centered urban planning is crucial for creating inclusive, health-promoting cities aligned with SDGs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial accessibility of urban parks for children in Ardabil, Iran.
- To identify disparities in park distribution and accessibility across different urban neighborhoods.
- To inform child-centered urban planning strategies for equitable access to green spaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the modified Huff-based variable three-step floating catchment area (MHV3SFCA) approach.
- Combined area attractiveness, distance decay, and catchment area variability for accessibility assessment.
- Employed spatial statistics including kernel density estimation (KDE), global/local Moran's indices, and children-to-population ratio (CPR) across 6,417 census blocks.
Main Results:
- Significant spatial disparities in park accessibility were found, with central and south-western areas showing high accessibility.
- Northern and north-eastern regions exhibit a lack of green spaces.
- 42% of children (in 2,615 census blocks) lacked access to any urban parks, indicating severe deficiencies in underserved areas.
Conclusions:
- Urban park accessibility for children is highly inequitable in Ardabil.
- Underprivileged areas and child-dense neighborhoods suffer from a significant shortage of parks.
- Optimized MHV3SFCA highlights the urgent need for improved urban planning focused on children's access to green infrastructure.
