Effects of the COVID pandemic on the use of urban green spaces: A systematic review

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted urban resilience. Studies on urban green spaces (UGS) lack consensus whether their use increased or decreased during COVID-19 and how this related to policy and economic conditions. In a systematic review, we screened >3000 articles in Chinese, English, French, German, and Spanish and identified 178 articles with information on UGS use in 61 countries. We find that the world was divided in places with increased and decreased use of UGS. Decreases happened where COVID-19 policies were stricter and the GDP per capita was lower. 77% of studies conducted on public parks showed decreased, while all on private gardens and 63% on forests and natural areas showed increased uses. Evidence from the Global South is limited, but our findings indicate that economic wealth significantly influences access to UGS, and this disparity was exacerbated during COVID-19. Green infrastructure for healthy cities needs to extend beyond public parks.