Inequity in Urban Park Accessibility for Micro-Scale Socioeconomic Groups in a Low-Segregation Context

The influence of residents’ socioeconomic attributes on park travel behavior becomes increasingly pronounced with the gradual realization of low segregation in urban park services, giving rise to multi-level accessibility of parks. Therefore, the conclusions of accessibility equity drawn at the meso- and macro-scales can no longer be used to accurately capture the accessibility characteristics of different groups at the micro-scale. Based on the actual travel distances to urban parks in a low-segregation context, this paper examines whether accessibility inequity exists among resident groups with different socioeconomic attributes at the micro-scale. Questionnaire surveys are conducted in the central city of Xi’an to collect socioeconomic information and daily park travel behavior of 901 residents, and K-means clustering analysis is applied to determine the corresponding park travel distances. The quantity, area, and quality of parks within travel distances are used to assess the equity of urban park accessibility for various groups at the residential area level. The findings reveal that within the travel distance thresholds for different-sized urban parks, accessibility inequity among socioeconomic groups at the micro-scale manifests primarily in the diversity of accessible parks to different groups. When considering the average travel distance thresholds for all parks, inequity appears as a mismatch between supply and demand for park services. These findings provide a foundation for transitioning from distributional equity to recognitional equity in urban parks by illuminating the effects of socioeconomic attributes on residents’ travel behavior and actual park accessibility.