Examining the Relationship Between Urban Park Quality and Residents’ Health in South Korean Cities Using Public Data

Yoonku Kwon, Kyeongjun Park, Ingu Kang, Changyeong Shin, Giyeol Lee () and Sanghoon Lee ()
Additional contact information
Yoonku Kwon: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Kyeongjun Park: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Ingu Kang: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Changyeong Shin: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Giyeol Lee: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Sanghoon Lee: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Urban parks are critical components of green infrastructure, supporting recreation and public health. This study investigates the association between urban park quality and health outcomes in 85 South Korean cities, utilizing a localized version of the ParkScore Index. The Korean ParkScore evaluates five dimensions: acreage, amenities, investment, accessibility, and equity. The health indicators include municipal-level rates of mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, insomnia, ADHD, and schizophrenia) and obesity. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed significant negative associations between ParkScore rankings and mental health indicators, particularly depression and anxiety. Higher-quality, more accessible parks correlated with lower levels of psychological distress, emphasizing the public health benefits of urban green spaces. While the cross-sectional design limits causal inference, the results support the role of urban parks as essential infrastructure for mental well-being. The findings underscore the need for equitable and data-driven urban park policies in fostering health-supportive urban environments and highlight the importance of considering specific ParkScore dimensions in urban planning.

Keywords: urban parks; public health; ParkScore; mental health; green infrastructure; South Korea; equity; obesity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1191/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1191/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:6:p:1191-:d:1670450

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().