Designing Small Urban Green Spaces for Equity: A Framework for Environmental Justice

Small urban green spaces, or pocket parks, are increasingly pivotal to environmental justice within rapidly densifying cities, yet their design shortcomings can perpetuate inequalities for marginalised populations. This study conducts a scoping review of 120 peer-reviewed articles (2015–2024) to elucidate how specific physical design elements influence equitable access for children, older adults, disabled people, and ethnic minorities. Guided by PRISMA protocols, we extracted quantitative evidence on accessibility barriers, spatial metrics, and sociodemographic correlates. Five interrelated equity dimensions emerged: spatial distribution, socioeconomic status, housing price, park quality, and demographic change. Evidence shows that inadequate entrance design, poor lighting, and deficient furniture compound locational disadvantage, diminishing perceived safety and willingness to visit. Conversely, well-maintained pocket parks within a 400-metre walk can offset broader green-space deficits, foster social cohesion, and deliver co-benefits for local climate-mitigation efforts. We synthesise these insights into a practitioner-oriented framework linking distributive and procedural justice to micro-scale design decisions. The framework equips planners and policymakers to create inclusive, resilient pocket parks that advance Sustainable Development Goals on health, equality, and urban well-being while maximising biodiversity and long-term public value.