Rethinking urban park accessibility in the context of demographic change: a population structure perspective

Rapid demographic change has reshaped the demand for and use of urban parks, profoundly affecting park accessibility inequities. In response to the need for park equity planning under demographic change, we have rethought the gaps in existing park accessibility research. In this study, we revisited and modified the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method, re-naming this method as the floatable supply and demand improved 2SFCA (FSD-2SFCA) method. The FSD-2SFCA method considers gaps in environmental preferences and travel abilities among population subgroups to better meet the needs of urban park planning based on demographic changes. Overall, the FSD-2SFCA method is robust, sensitive, flexible, and scalable. The method measured park accessibility in Higashiosaka City under existing and projected population dynamics (2020–2060). The results showed that spatial differences and inequalities in park accessibility exist in Higashiosaka City and that park accessibility inequities among age groups showed different trends as the population changed. In addition, park accessibility is generally the lowest and most inequitable for older adults. Our study highlights that in addressing demographic change, policymakers must consider present equitable distribution of parks and future park accessibility based on population projections to ensure equity-oriented, sustainable urban park planning.