Contrasting inequality in mobility-based exposure to greenspace between older pedestrians and other pedestrians

Abstract

Urban street trees offer diverse ecological benefits to city dwellers, ranging from large-scale impacts like carbon sequestration to medium-scale effects such as air pollution removal and stormwater mitigation. Additionally, street trees yield localized advantages, such as aesthetic benefits and cooling effects for people residing or walking nearby. However, current studies predominantly evaluate individuals' exposure to urban greenery based on their residential or workplace locations, potentially neglecting their direct exposure to green spaces while walking or doing physical activities on urban streets. This study develops a methodology incorporating street-view imagery to obtain the volume of pedestrians of different ages and evaluate pedestrian-centric green space exposure across different age groups. Spatial mismatches between pedestrian-oriented green space exposure and residential-based exposure, particularly among older pedestrians, were uncovered. The research highlights the need to prioritize green infrastructure initiatives tailored to varying age demographics and lifestyles.