Quantitative Environmental Equity Analysis of Perceived Accessibility to Urban Parks in Osaka Prefecture, Japan
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Quantitative Environmental Equity Analysis of Perceived Accessibility to Urban Parks in Osaka Prefecture, Japan Shinya Yasumoto 1
& Tomoki
Nakaya 2 & Andrew P Jones 3
Received: 30 October 2019 / Accepted: 3 September 2020/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Environmental equity (EE) has become internationally recognized as an important research field, but in Japan limited quantitative research is available. In this paper we report the results of a quantitative study that tested whether objective and perceived accessibility to parks is disproportionately distributed between the affluent and the poor in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Perceived accessibility is considered to be a more accurate accessibility measure which reflects the socio-cultural background of people. We find inequities in both accessibility measures, and using multiple logistic regression analysis, we clarified that perceived accessibility is shaped by a range of factors (i.e., income level, objective accessibility to parks, and people’s perceptions of traffic accidents, crime, and the level of scenic beauty in the neighboring area). Our results provide some insight into remediation measures for the environmental inequity of perceived accessibility. Simply establishing a new urban park may not sufficiently increase the perceived accessibility of socioeconomically deprived groups. Identifying the underlying mechanisms that could explain how poverty-related factors undermine the perceived park accessibility or improving the quality of neighboring area are also important to ensure the effectiveness of remediation measures. Keywords Environmental equity . Perceived accessibility . Urban parks . Geographic
information systems . Japan
* Shinya Yasumoto [email protected] Tomoki Nakaya [email protected] Andrew P Jones [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
S. Yasumoto et al.
Introduction Environmental equity (EE) is defined as an equal burden of environmental risks or accessibility to amenities regardless of population characteristics, such as age, gender, ethnicity, and poverty level (Environmental Protection Agency, 1992; Jones et al., 2009a). EE is often related to health inequities and economic inequities, and these can all operate together (Pearce et al., 2010; O’Neill et al., 2003). For example, a disproportionate distribution of environmental risks or amenities may be a path to the magnification of health inequity (O’Neill et al., 2003; Nakaya, 2011; Pearce, 2006). Alternatively, a disproportionate siting of environmental risks or environmental amenities may affect land prices and/or residential choice (Saha & Mohai, 2005; Been, 1994), and consequently, magnify inequity between the affluent and the poor. Historically, the term “Environmental Equity” originated from social movements against unequal burdens of environmental risks in the US. Before the 1980s, public opposition to the siting of waste facilities in several areas increased on account of more widespread awareness of
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