Accessibility to public spaces: Boosting ecosystem services in urban areas in four Latin American cities

The supply and demand of ecosystem services in urban areas depends, among other things, on the configuration location public spaces with vegetation access citizens have to them. Providing equitable has been a top priority policy worldwide, but (UES) are not always considered when discussing services. Since UES may positively impact wellbeing promote sustainability, we analyze accessibility different greening characteristics four Latin American cities: Cartagena de Indias Medellín (Colombia) Valparaíso (Chile) Quito (Ecuador). We argue that considering distribution of, to, provides insights for policymakers seeking increase potential provision through space. classified existing into categories using photointerpretation high-resolution QuickBird satellite images: (1) tree predominance, (2) grass (3) hard zone (4) bare soil predominance. evaluated physical spatial analysis road networks, walking distance can be covered ranges time. Our results show three cities good within 15 min. However, this increases focus green (categories 1 2). This study contributes research by analyzing conditions which offer direct contact nature areas. It also highlights importance conceiving planning space as providers UES, an important aspect improving environmental quality impacting people's health wellbeing.