Urban parks are vital for the well-being of Earth’s 4.6 billion urban residents, yet their global distribution and impact on public welfare remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed 440,000 urban parks across 1860 cities worldwide, introducing the new Comprehensive Benefit Index (CBI) to assess their richness, greenness, and accessibility, while identifying gaps in urban park construction. Our findings reveal significant global disparities: developed countries contain approximately 80% of urban parks, with high-income countries achieving an average CBI 1.64 times higher than lower-middle-income countries and 1.76 times higher than low-income countries. While upper-middle-income countries have a sufficient number of parks, they often lack greenness and accessibility. In contrast, low- and lower-middle-income countries struggle to meet the basic park availability needs of urban residents. These inequalities hinder inclusive urban development, underscoring the urgent need for targeted strategies to improve urban parks in underserved countries. Aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 11, this study offers critical insights to support sustainable urban planning and foster equitable urban park systems worldwide.
Kuang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.