Green Exposure, Public Space Usage, and Travel Behavior: Strategies for Building Inclusive Cities and Supporting Vulnerable Groups

Dear Colleagues,

As urbanization accelerates globally, cities face growing environmental and social challenges, particularly in the context of climate change, aging populations, and the rising needs of vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Enhancing green exposure, improving public space accessibility, and understanding urban travel behavior have become central to building inclusive, healthy, and resilient cities.

Urban green spaces and parks play an essential role in supporting physical and mental health, promoting social interactions, mitigating urban heat island effects, and improving accessibility for vulnerable populations. However, disparities in green space distribution, park usability, and mobility constraints remain significant issues across cities.

This Special Issue aims therefore to advance interdisciplinary research on the interactions between green exposure, public space usage, and travel behavior, with particular focus on equity and inclusiveness. We seek contributions that explore how green spaces influence daily mobility patterns, how public spaces can better serve vulnerable groups, and how planning and policy interventions can enhance accessibility, environmental justice, and urban sustainability.

This Special Issue will focus on the following key themes:

• Health Benefits of Green Exposure and Public Space Usage: Analyzing the impact of urban green spaces and parks on the physical and mental health of different populations, with particular focus on vulnerable groups.
• Travel Behavior and Green Exposure for Vulnerable Groups: Exploring how improving the accessibility and quality of urban green spaces and public spaces can optimize the travel experience and accessibility for vulnerable groups (e.g., children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities).
• Inclusive Urban Design and Social Justice: Investigating the concept of inclusive urban design, focusing on how the planning of green exposure and park facilities can enhance social equity, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities.
• Interaction Between Green Space and Travel Behavior: Exploring how green exposure influences daily travel behaviors through case studies, especially in unmotorized and walking travel modes.
• Policies and Practices: A Policy Framework for Enhancing Green Exposure and Travel Behavior: Proposing multi-dimensional strategies based on research findings that combine urban planning, transportation policies, and social welfare policies to improve green exposure and travel behavior for vulnerable groups.

We welcome studies employing GIS, spatial modeling, remote sensing, big data analytics, machine learning, behavioral analysis, surveys, experiments, and other interdisciplinary approaches. We also welcome the submission of original research articles and review papers for this Special Issue. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Health benefits of green exposure and urban public space design;
• Travel behavior analysis and improvement strategies for vulnerable groups (including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities);
• The interaction between urban green spaces and travel behavior;
• Inclusive urban planning and support policies for vulnerable groups;
• Green exposure and social justice—policy recommendations for enhancing green space accessibility;
• Green exposure, public space usage, and climate adaptation strategies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yuxiao Jiang
Dr. Jie Chen
Dr. Long Chen
Prof. Dr. Yi Lu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• public space
• travel behavior
• inclusive urban design
• vulnerable groups
• urban health
• social justice