Indigenous and spontaneous vegetation: their relationship to urban development in the city of Leeds, UK

The concepts of indigenous and spontaneous vegetation are considered as subsets of the broader category, semi-natural vegetation. Indigenous vegetation is conceptualised as that which has originated in a rural landscape and developed over a time period of several centuries or more, either naturally or as a result of traditional management methods, together with the environmental conditions supporting it. In contrast, spontaneous vegetation is that which has naturally colonised derelict urban sites, mainly within the last century. An investigation, using map and aerial photographic data, examined the relative proportions of potentially indigenous and spontaneous vegetation on proposed development sites in Leeds, a large industrial city in the UK. Results suggested that spontaneous vegetation occupied approximately 13% by area of the development sites while possible indigenous vegetation occupied as little as 5%. However, further analysis suggested that approximately 25% of the proposed development sites were within 0.5 km of a designated site containing indigenous vegetation. It is argued that both types of semi-natural vegetation can make positive contributions to the urban environment but that public perception of spontaneous vegetation and, in particular, the locations where it occurs, are often negative. Further research into public perceptions of semi-natural vegetation and ways of incorporating it into urban development are required.     

Mapping research priorities for green and public urban space in the UK

Research mapping is a method of organising research information as part of a process of formulating a research policy in a specific area. A research mapping project was undertaken in the UK, which aimed to map existing and future research into public and green space, to identify gaps in order to help set priorities for future research, and to develop a freely accessible and searchable database of this research. The mapping was structured around two axes. The first axis was of research themes based on The Value of Public Space but developed further and broken down into sub-themes. The second axis was a typology of green and public space based around Planning and Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17) with elaboration from Green Spaces, Better Places. Research dating back to 10 years was collected together with information on recently completed, ongoing and planned UK research. Only research meeting specific quality criteria was included. Some information was also collected at a seminar where attendees from a range of organisations were invited to offer their perspectives on where research priorities should be directed. All the material was analysed and the main trends were identified. Three key cross-cutting themes common to much of the research were identified. These are the general lack of baseline surveys against which to assess progress over time; methodological issues, especially the need to standardise data collection methods and techniques; the classification of social groups, currently considered to be too crude.It was found that most research has been undertaken on physical aspects, such as planning and on biodiversity. Economic values have also been a focus, but on a smaller scale. Social research is quite well covered but very patchy. Management is better covered than maintenance. By far the weakest area represented in the research is health and well-being, both in terms of social groups and types of green space. Priorities for further research were then identified.     

The relationship between urban green space and social health of individuals: A scoping review

Urban green space is an important resource to effectively improve the urban environment and human health. A growing body of evidence highlights their positive impact on physical, mental and social health. Less focus has been paid to the social health benefits of urban green space. Designing urban green space to improve the social health of various groups has become a crucial problem, given the lack of uniformity in defining and measuring social health, as well as the varying social health needs of different individuals. This review aims to explore the relationship between urban green space and social health of individuals, which is defined as how one gets along with other people, how other people react to him/her, and how one reacts with the social institutions and societal mores. According to the PRISMA extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, 60 articles published between 1998 and 2022 met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The results demonstrated that different types of urban green space significantly influenced the social health of individuals. The dimensions of social health of individuals based on urban green space could be divided into four groups: social contacts, social relations, social support and social connections, which were mainly affected by the physical characteristics, perceptions, and usages of urban green space to varying degrees. Socio-demographic characteristics could moderate the strength and orientation of the relationship between urban green space and social health of individuals. As the first scoping review to analyze the relationship between urban green space and individual social health, this study not only provides evidence for the social health benefits of urban green space, but also offers information and tools for future research and policymakers.     

Global patterns in urban green space are strongly linked to human development and population density

Urban green space is important for alleviating high temperatures, pollution, and flooding in cities. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that urban green space is important for the mental and physical health of humans residing in cities and that urban green space may harbor unique biodiversity. Understanding the extent and drivers of urban green space is thus important. While urban green space has been mapped and studied at local to national scales, the global patterns and drivers of urban green space remain unknown, potentially hampering effective planning and allocation of resources toward reaching sustainable development goals. Here, we quantified the effect of environmental and socio-economic drivers (temperature, precipitation, human development, and population density) on urban green space globally by focusing on national capital cities. We used satellite imagery to map urban green space using two measures: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the fractional cover of “green” land cover classes. NDVI is useful as it includes all vegetated surfaces, also small ones like gardens. However, land cover classes allow the exclusion of certain classes such as sports fields or cropland. We used boosted regression trees to show that climatic variables accounted for 75 % of the relative influence in urban green space, with a positive effect of precipitation and a negative effect of temperature. Importantly, socioeconomic variables accounted for 25 % of the influence on global urban green space, with a positive effect of human development index (HDI) and a negative effect of population density. HDI in relation to urban green space has not previously been tested globally, and our study shows that significantly affects urban greenspace. The results demonstrate that cities where development status is low and population densities are high, typically in the Global South, have less urban green space than the climate would predict. The results therefore suggest that human wellbeing does not only benefit directly from increasing human development and decreasing population densities in urban areas, but that these effects may be compounded by also improving nature’s contribution to people.     

Spatial sorting,attitudes and the use of green space in Brussels

Extensive evidence exists on the benefits provided by urban green space (UGS) but evidence is lacking about whether and how socio-economic benefits accrue to all residents or disproportionally depending on their socio-economic status or residential location. We model joint effects of socio-economic and locational attributes on attitudes and use of UGS in Brussels (BE). The analysis is based on a survey conducted along an urban–suburban continuum with respondents sampled across non-park public space. Patterns of use are depicted by the frequency and the distance travelled to the most used UGS. Attitudes are analyzed along three dimensions: willingness to (i) pay for UGS, (ii) trade off housing for green space and (iii) substitute private for public green. Our results stress the importance of separating effects of attitudes from socio-economic and locational effects to quantify UGS use, and suggest endogenous effects of green space with residential sorting.     

Performance of native succulents,forbs, and grasses on an extensive green roof over four years in subtropical Australia

To achieve enduring low-maintenance green roofs that provide maximum benefit in the subtropics, plants need to be well adapted to the local climate with extensive green coverage. The use of native plants contributes to ecological restoration, yet there is very limited information available on their performance in the subtropics. This study aimed to determine the performance of nine species of Australian native forbs, succulents, and grasses in monofunctional and functionally-mixed plant communities on an extensive green roof in Brisbane over four years. Green coverage and survival were monitored via image analysis and observational visits. Forbs established slowly, but successfully (82 % green coverage, 67 % survival after four years) with species Hibbertia scandens (100 % survival) and Dianella brevipedunculata (58 % survival and extensive recruitment) performing the best. Grasses, including Themeda triandra, Poa labillardieri and Cymbopogon refractus, achieved a fast initial green coverage (47 % after 10 months), but showed high seasonal variability and declined to 2 %. Contrary to expectations, succulents performed poorly (<5 % green coverage, 14 % survival). Green coverage had an inverse trend to plant survival in successful plots (forbs, functionally-mixed) indicating a gap-filling effect by high performing species. Survival was more strongly linked to individual species than to functional type or plant community arrangement. Based on the results of this study, we recommend consideration of functionally-mixed green roof plantings with a variety of indigenous plants including forbs for low maintenance and resilient green coverage in the subtropics. Habitats that provided suitable plant species for this study were coastal headlands, dunes, montane areas, and open eucalypt forests. Analogous habitats in other regions can be explored to find new native plant species to increase the plant palette of potentially suitable species. It would be beneficial to trial more plants from these habitats over multiple years to increase the knowledge of suitable species available to green roof designers.     

Wealth and land use drive the distribution of urban green space in the tropical coastal city of Haikou,China

Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide a plethora of ecosystem services that benefit humans and wildlife within cities. UGS both promotes and is affected by overall urban ecological health, which can be measured by a wide range of indices. In this study, we investigated the distribution patterns and drivers of UGS within the tropical coastal city of Haikou, Hainan, China over the past decade using a combination of remote sensing data and field work. We interpreted Google earth images from 2010 and 2020 to determine the land cover of UGS within Urban Functional Units (UFUs). We collected socioeconomic variables to test if wealth, site age, and land use determine the proportion of UGS in the city. We found that the proportion of UGS in parks was the highest among all UFUs in 2010 and 2020. In general, UGS increased with maintenance frequency and housing price, which are proxies for the luxury effect. However, land use also played a role in UGS distribution across UFUs, especially in transportation areas, recreation and leisure districts, and residential districts. Haikou is similar to other cities in showing a positive luxury effect on the distribution of UGS. Our results highlight the key roles that parks, colleges and universities, and research institute areas have played in maintaining stable green space within Haikou over the past decade. We suggest that relatively recently implemented governmental programs to increase green space elsewhere in the city may not yet have achieved success within the time span that we analyzed.     

Efficient cooling of cities at global scale using urban green space to mitigate urban heat island effects in different climatic regions

In the context of rapid urbanization and global warming, how to use urban green space (UGS) with high-efficiency to mitigate the urban heat islands (UHIs) effect in different climate zones has become an urgent issue. However, few studies have provided specific guidance for urban vegetation planning adapting to different climate zones on a global scale. In this study, a cooling effect framework was employed to analyze the influence of UGS patch characteristics, natural and anthropogenic factors on its cooling effect across different climatic zones. We found that the urban cooling islands (UCI) intensity, extent, and gradient of UGS increased with latitude, with lower cooling effect concentrated in arid zones around 30 °N, while the largest (0.38 ha) and smallest (0.24 ha) threshold value of efficiency (TVoE) were found in the temperate and arid climate zones. The larger the UGS area, the better the cooling effect in all climate zones. Moreover, complex shapes have a greater UCI intensity in tropical and temperate zones than other regions, while the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) has a stronger effect in arid zones. In the continental zone, patch characteristics had little effect. The overall explanation rate of natural and anthropogenic factors on the cooling effect of UGS was 53.5 %, among which natural factors were approximately twice that of anthropogenic factors. Notably, natural factors dominated in the tropical and arid zones affecting UCI, and anthropogenic factors dominated in the temperate and continental zones. The findings of this study expand our understanding of the cooling effect of UGS in different climatic zones around the world and provide insights for urban sustainable development.     

Aligning fragmented planning structures through a green infrastructure approach to urban development in the UK and USA

Globally green infrastructure (GI) planning has developed with alternative conceptual and implementation viewpoints. In the UK and USA this has led to the establishment of a dual narrative; one identifies a set of conceptual principles within the wider global GI debate, whilst the second focusses on localised interpretations of these principles within divergent delivery approaches. Such plurality adds a level of complexity to the development of GI policy and subsequent investments, which can be understood if both narratives are debated simultaneously. A number of factors have influenced this process; the most prominent being the dislocation between GI policies, practice and funding. This paper addresses this fragmentation proposing that a ‘policy-implementation’ gap exists within national and sub-national planning practice which limits the transferability of global principles into delivery. Therefore although the conceptual understanding of GI is grounded in the global literature, greater variability is evident in the application of these principles within localised (i.e. national, regional and sub-regional) planning. The paper extends this debate through a discussion of whether a consensus for the conceptual advancement and implementation of GI is a necessary aim of its development. It concludes that such plurality of understanding is both a positive and negative attributes of GI planning, highlighting the complexity of attempts to align global and local development narratives for GI.     

Estimating urban green space production in the macroeconomy: From public goods to a profitable method of investment

Accompanied by long-term urbanization, the Chinese production of urban green space (UGS) is gradually transforming into a land operation strategy for local governments to maximize land lease revenue. This paper presents empirical research on different types of investment, urban space, and gross domestic product (GDP) with a simultaneous equations model (SEM) of econometrics to test the capital circulation and accumulation of UGS production in China. The regression results strongly support our hypothesis that UGS production contributes to GDP growth and that there is an economic feedback loop between them. One billion RMB of the government’s fixed-asset investments produces 0.899 km² UGS in the long term, and this UGS yields 1.749 billion RMB tertiary industry GDP in return. Thus, the total return rate in the representative economic chain of “fixed-asset investment-UGS-tertiary industry GDP” is greater than 174.9%. However, this percentage also reveals the weakness of providing rewards in maximizing land lease relative to urban industrial, traffic and residential spaces. We also estimate the lagged correlation coefficient with a rational distributed lag model, showing that the production of UGS has a longer-term and more profitable influence on tertiary industry GDP than on secondary industry GDP. The long-run effect of investment on UGS lasts for approximately five years in producing secondary industry GDP and more than ten years in producing tertiary industry GDP. A continuous increase in fixed-asset investments in UGS would achieve a balanced return rate (100%) and start to produce profits after the 4th year, according to the economic chain of ΔFAI-ΔUGS-ΔTGDP.     

Amenity trees and green space structure in urban settlements of Kigali,Rwanda

According to the national policy, overall forest and agroforestry cover in Rwanda is to increase up to 30% land cover by 2020. On the other hand, demographic data reveal that Rwanda's urban areas are among the fastest-growing on the continent. Unfortunately, there is only little information of the effects of such a rapid urbanization on tree cover and green space structure, knowing that data on urban plant assemblages in the country are rather rare. The paper discusses developments in Kigali's green spaces with regard to its rapid rate of expansion. An integrated approach of research, combining results from interview sessions, desk-based investigations, walk-over and vegetation surveys, and photogrammetric analyses of remotely acquired imagery was applied. The findings suggest that the city green space network consists of plant assemblages largely dominated by alien species (75%). Tree cover fraction averaged at around 10–35%. No significant difference was observed between field-drawn and photogrammetric-based fraction of tree cover estimates; making the later a quick but cheap tool for rapid tree cover evaluation. Cultivated forests, urban woodlots and domestic garden tree stands are far the most dominant types of green spaces in terms of coverage of city surface area. Street tree communities and institutional gardens appear to be the most intensively designed green space layouts. Both distribution and species composition in domestic gardens were socioeconomic-driven. For instance, palm trees were characteristic of fortunate quarters while fruitbearing ornamental such as Psidium guajava and Persea americana were common within scattered and informal settlements. Markhamia lutea, Erythina abyssinica, Euphorbia candelabrum, Phoenix reclinata and Acacia sieberiana are among native taxa that thrive to keep a place in the city. Euphorbia tirucalli, a native tree that is widespread in home compound fences within informal settlements, is significantly declining as modern housing expands and concrete-based fences replace live enclosures.     

Assessing the impacts of urbanization-associated green space on urban land surface temperature: A case study of Dalian,China

Taking Dalian City as the study area, the spatial distribution of urban green space and land surface temperature (LST), as well as their evolution in 1999, 2007 and 2013, were obtained through remote sensing (RS) interpretation and inversion. Landsat ETM and SPOT data were used for this purpose. By combining the temperature and vegetation index models (TVX), the effects of urban green space reduction on the thermal environment during city development were evaluated. The results show the following. (1) During 1999–2013, 88.1 km² of urban green space was converted to other land uses, accounting for a 29.4% reduction in urban green space in the study area. (2) During the study period, the LST in this area increased by +8.455 K. The evolution of the regional thermal landscape can be characterized by increases in the LST, greater complexity of the thermal landscape structure, increase and aggregation of high-temperature areas, and reduction and fragmentation of low-temperature areas. (3) During the process of urbanization, urban green space with low land-surface temperature was converted to other land use types with high land-surface temperature. When development occurred at the price of urban green space, negative effects on the regional thermal environment were observed.     

Sniff the urban park: Unveiling odor features and landscape effect on smellscape in Guangzhou,China

Smellscape, as the sense of smell cross space, has a huge impact on human behavior, attitudes and health. However, so far it has rarely been addressed and measured in both landscape practice and theories. The present case study refined the quantitative smellwalk method to examine the spatial and temporal features of urban park smellscape. The effects of landscape patterns on smellscape were further unraveled combining with remote sensing techniques and field surveys. The results indicated that: (i) human activities and nature odors dominated the urban park odor environments, (ii) the temporal variation of the urban park smellscape was mainly driven by human activities, (iii) the different site types of urban park exerted a significant impact on the composition of the smellscape, and (iv) the landscape pattern characteristics of forest, shrubs, grass, water, buildings and roads had significant effects on different types of odors. This study poses a first systematic exploration of various odors in urban green environments and offers novel insights into the design of smellscape via unveiling spatial-temporal odor distribution patterns.     

Economic development and natural amenity: An econometric analysis of urban green spaces in China

Rapid urbanization and spontaneous economic development has brought about profound changes in urban landscapes throughout the world. The task of managing transforming urban landscapes, particularly urban green spaces, so as to provide sufficient natural amenity for increasing urban populations, is one of the critical challenges facing policy makers. However, little empirical evidence exists about the evolving path of urban green spaces along with economic development and urbanization. This study attempts to fill in this knowledge gap through an econometric analysis of panel data across 285 Chinese cities during a period of rapid urbanization and economic growth (2001–2010). The results point to the existence of an N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for an important aspect of environmental quality: urban green spaces. Urban green space coverage increases at the initial stage of economic development, and then it starts to decrease as GDP per capita exceeds RMB50,855 and then increases again at a high GDP per capita level (RMB107,558). Large elasticity (>1) is expected as GDP per capita grows to a higher level (beyond RMB128,095). By the end of 2010, 30% of Chinese cities are still located on the downward-sloping path and only four cities have attained elasticities greater than one. The findings present a challenging and pressing call for policy makers to effectively manage the tradeoffs between continuous economic development and better natural amenities.     

The influence of small green space type and structure at the street level on urban heat island mitigation

The purpose of this study was to determine the types and structures of small green spaces (SGs) that effectively reduce air temperature in urban blocks. Six highly developed blocks in Seoul, South Korea served as the research sites for this study. Air temperature was measured at the street level with mobile loggers on clear summer days from August to September in 2012. The measurements were repeated three times a day for three days. By analyzing the spatial characteristics, SGs within the six blocks were categorized into the four major types: polygonal, linear, single, and mixed. The result revealed that the polygonal and mixed types of SGs showed simple linear regression at a significant level (p < 0.01). It indicated that the blocks’ urban heat island (UHI) mitigation (ΔT_Rmn) increased in a linear fashion when the area and volume of these two types of green spaces increased. The area and volume of a polygonal SG with mixed vegetation, over 300 m² and 2300 m³, respectively, lowered the ΔT_Rmn by 1 °C; SG with an area and volume of larger than 650 m² and 5000 m³, respectively, lowered the ΔT_Rmn by 2 °C. The results of this study will be useful to urban planners and designers for determine the types and structures of urban green spaces to optimize the cooling effect, as well as how such green spaces should be designed and distributed.     

How climate change perception is reshaping attitudes towards the functional benefits of urban trees and green space: Lessons from Hong Kong

Urban greening has rapidly emerged as a key urban climate change adaptation strategy. Urban greening is thought to confer manifold socio-ecological benefits upon residents in towns and cities. Yet proponents of urban greening have seldom considered how people’s support for greening policies may be shaped by weather and climate. This paper reports the results of exploratory research examining public expectations of adverse weather changes and people’s attitudes toward the functional benefits of urban trees and green space. Results of a questionnaire survey of 800 residents of Hong Kong indicate a positive relationship. Respondents tended to rate functional benefits as more important if they anticipated adverse weather changes in the near future, namely, rising temperatures, more tropical cyclones and prolonged rain. This subjective weather effect is more salient when these weather changes are perceived as a threat to one’s daily life. We found urban greenery is assigned a higher value by individuals concerned about exposure and vulnerability to climatic stressors. Affinity for greening appears to be related to how weather and climatic variability is perceived. This observation is informed by a broader geographic perspective, which construes weather and climate as part of the spatial environment in which urban nature is apprehended and comprehended. An explanation for our findings is that increasingly volatile weather can potentially reshape urban residents’ interactions with nature, based on perceived relief and/or protection from climate-related threats.     

Public green spaces and human wellbeing: Mapping the spatial inequity and mismatching status of public green space in the Central City of Shanghai

Public green spaces are fundamental and indispensable to urban settlements, given the diverse social, economic and environmental benefits that they can provide. However, the absence of knowledge regarding the allocation and access status quo consistently hinders the suitability and rationality of follow-up green space planning, which could eventually impair the livability and sustainability of cities. This study evaluates disparities in access to public green space for urban residents and the spatial mismatches among public green space provision, residents’ visits and the demands of socially vulnerable groups within the Central City of Shanghai. The results show that disparities in public green space accessibility exist pertaining to social status and household composition status. Sub-districts with higher social status or larger proportions of family households composed by children and married inhabitants tend to have better public green space access. In contrast, sub-districts with larger proportions of aged or unemployed populations unexpectedly show worse public green space access. To a certain degree, this reduced access can be considered to be an environmental injustice. Additionally, the mismatches among public green space provision, residents’ visits and the demands of socially vulnerable groups are observed to vary in space, indicating potential problems of resource shortage, supply-demand mismatch, underuse and congestion. The findings could offer urban planners and policy-makers insights into optimizing public green space resources and equitably providing proximal public green space to urban residents, especially vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and the unemployed.     

Establishing a "dynamic two-step floating catchment area method" to assess the accessibility of urban green space in Shenyang based on dynamic population data and multiple modes of transportation

As an integral part of the urban environment, urban green space (UGS) is of great significance in maintaining urban ecosystem balance and biodiversity. Spatial accessibility is an important indicator of UGS distribution and can be calculated by the two-step floating catchment area method (2SFCA). However, problems exist in previous studies using 2SFCA: (1) the dynamics in population distributions are ignored when measuring UGS demand; and (2) travel costs are calculated for only a single mode of transportation. To address these problems, this study proposes a dynamic two-step floating catchment area method (D2SFCA) based on the Baidu heatmap and direction application programming interface and compares it with the traditional 2SFCA to investigate the characteristics of and differences in UGS accessibility in the first-ring built-up area of Shenyang, China. The results show the following: (1) the dynamic population distribution data calculated by the heatmap yielded the highest population density raster (581.0–1342.0 p/hm²) in areas with dense road networks and the lowest population density raster (2.0–91.0 p/hm²) in areas with railways and rivers, thereby more accurately reflecting reality and better quantifying the UGS demand than the static population distribution data; (2) the D2SFCA and 2SFCA findings had a slightly different distribution, and the D2SFCA assessment results more accurately reflected actual patterns, especially when the road data were inaccurate. In summary, the D2SFCA is more suitable for assessing accessibility and can identify specific areas that lack UGS. This study provides a scientific basis and methodological support for improving the services level and equity of UGS.     

Exotic trees contribute to urban forest diversity and ecosystem services in inner-city Cleveland,OH

Vacant land, a product of population and economic decline resulting in abandonment of infrastructure, has increased substantially in shrinking cities around the world. In Cleveland, Ohio, vacant lots are minimally managed, concentrated within low-income neighborhoods, and support a large proportion of the city’s urban forest. We quantified abundance, richness, diversity, and size class of native and exotic tree species on inner-city vacant lots, inner-city residential lots, and suburban residential lots, and used i-Tree Eco to model the quantity and economic value of regulating ecosystem services provided by their respective forest assemblages. Inner-city vacant lots supported three times as many trees, more exotic than native trees, and greater tree diversity than inner-city and suburban residential lots, with the plurality of trees being naturally-regenerated saplings. The urban forest on inner-city vacant lots also had two times as much leaf area and leaf biomass, and more tree canopy cover. The quantity and monetary value of ecosystem services provided by the urban forest was greatest on inner-city vacant lots, with exotic species contributing most of that value, while native taxa provided more monetary value on residential lots. The predominately naturally-regenerated, minimally managed exotic species on vacant land provide valuable ecosystem services to inner-city neighborhoods of Cleveland, OH.     

Understanding the relationship between small urban parks and mental health: A case study in Shanghai,China

The literature to date has mainly explored the impact on public mental health of green spaces around residential areas, large urban parks, family gardens, blue spaces, national parks, etc., while few studies have examined the association of Small Urban Green Spaces (SUGS) with public mental health. The role, function, and service radius of SUGS in urban people’s lives are quite different from those of general green spaces, and the relationship and mechanism linking general green spaces to mental health cannot be fully applied to small parks. This work was conducted to: 1) investigate the relationship between SUGS and mental health; 2) understand what factors affect mental health; 3) determine what kind of SUGS is more conducive to improving mental health. SUGS’ designs and physical characteristics were evaluated with the Natural Environment Scoring Tool (NEST) and user information for 10 SUGS (1–5 ha) in Shanghai in 2021 was collected via a questionnaire. We developed a multilevel model for exploring the factors affecting mental health from two aspects: the individual level and the park level. This study found that SUGS and mental health were positively associated. In addition to individual–level variables like income, marital status, social cohesion, and use frequency, park–level variables such as usability, aesthetics–natural features, and civilized environment are also conducive to improving mental health, while entertainment facilities in SUGS have a negative association with mental health. There was no evidence that visit frequency, stay time, social cohesion, or physical exercise act as a mediator between park features and mental health. This study provides empirical evidence for the positive correlation between SUGS and mental health and presents a means of promoting public mental health with efficient SUGS planning and management.