Authors: Yufeng Jin, Xianrui Ji, Matthaios Santamouris, Helen X. H. Bao, Marcin Pietrzykowski, Emilia Wysocka-Fijorek, Narimah Samat, Jie Liu
Year: 2026
Status: Under Review
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Research line: Spatial analysis of environment and climate
Abstract
Urban blue-green spaces (UBGS) are vital for human health and sustainable urban transitions, yet existing assessments of UBGS exposure largely rely on assumptions of homogeneous demand and Euclidean distance. Consequently, how actual road-network constraints and heterogeneous group preferences drive exposure disparities remain poorly understood. Here we develop a preference-driven and network-based two-step floating catchment area (PN-2SFCA) model to evaluate UBGS exposure inequality. By integrating Weibo check-in data and actual walking paths, the approach captures group-specific visitation preferences and realistic travel constraints across multiple walking-time thresholds. The findings reveal pronounced spatial disparities in UBGS accessibility, and show that exposure inequality originates primarily within, rather than between, social groups (intra-group inequality). While certain demographic segments achieve broad access, the elderly and males experience structurally limited service coverage. The 10-minute walking threshold emerges as the critical scale at which these inequalities are most pronounced. These hidden disparities underscore the limitations of conventional, quantity-oriented assessments; by uncovering inequality patterns easily neglected by traditional methods, the results provide a foundation for targeted, preference-oriented UBGS planning that supports equitable resource allocation and inclusive urban development under resource constraints.