Deconstructing Urban Green Justice and Well-being: A Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Based on the Activity Space Perspective

Shaobo Liu¹Jialing Qi¹Yi Yang¹Wen Huo¹Jiang Li¹Yating Chang^1*You Peng²

• ¹Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
• ²The Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore Department of the Built Environment, Singapore, Singapore

Against the backdrop of a global shift toward greener cities, equitable access to urban green spaces has increasingly been recognized for its impact on residents' well-being. However, most existing studies rely heavily on residential proximity, overlooking the role of individual activity space differences and their influence on perceived fairness and well-being. This study, grounded in environmental justice theory and the activity space perspective, constructs and tests a structural equation model integrating green space quality, green space exposure, perceived social benefits, perceived green justice, and subjective well-being. Based on 524 survey responses collected in Changsha, China, a multi-group structural equation modeling (Multi-Group SEM) approach was employed to compare path differences among near-, mid-, and far-distance activity space groups. Results show that: (1) Urban green space quality significantly influences green space exposure and perceived social benefits, which in turn enhance residents' perception of green justice and ultimately boost subjective well-being; (2) The pathways from "Green Space Quality →Green Space Exposure," "Green Space Quality →Perceived Social Benefits," and "Green Space Exposure → Perceived Green Justice" remain consistently significant across all activity groups, forming a stable core mechanism; (3) Green space exposure in the mid-distance group is more sensitive to economic conditions. By incorporating activity space segmentation, this study extends the micro-mechanism framework of environmental justice and subjective well-being. The findings provide empirical evidence for understanding the psychological impacts of green space equity on urban residents and offer theoretical support for precision-oriented green space planning and equity-focused policy interventions.