Public spaces in cities of today are characterized by socio-spatial inequalities that often result in restricted mobility for, and exclusion of, marginalized populations—inequalities that have intensified due to COVID-19. In this exploratory study, we distributed a survey comprised of close- and open-ended questions through convenience sampling in late July 2020 with the aim of understanding (1) if and how sense of belonging to urban green space (UGS) has shifted since the start of the pandemic and (2) how do changes in UGS use, satisfaction, and sense of belonging relate to sociodemographic characteristics of New York City (NYC) neighborhoods. Participants (N = 138) were racially diverse, predominantly female and between 18–44yo with a neighborhood median income of $67,500. While the level of satisfaction that people feel in relation to their UGS did not change with the offset of the pandemic, how much people use these spaces and how much they “feel at home” in them did. Participants reported higher use of UGS currently in comparison to their use of these spaces pre-pandemic. This increased use of UGS was particularly evident among White participants and participants living in more upper-middle- and upper-income areas. The same trend is evident when it comes to sense of belonging. New Yorkers in general reported a stronger sense of belonging to UGS spaces as a result of the pandemic. As with UGS use, while both reported a favorable sense of belonging, White and more affluent participants had a stronger sense of belonging pre-pandemic, and their sense of belonging showed greater rise due to the pandemic. Overall, our research suggests that COVID-19 has widened existing socio-spatial disparities in NYC, with the lowest income neighborhoods most effected. We suggest further exploration of sense of belonging to UGS as an avenue to promote urban green equity in multicultural cities.

当今城市的公共空间以社会空间不平等为特征，这往往导致边缘化人群的流动受限和排斥——这种不平等现象因 COVID-19 而加剧。在这项探索性研究中，我们在 2020 年 7 月下旬通过便利抽样分发了一项由封闭式和开放式问题组成的调查，目的是了解 (1) 自 2020 年以来，城市绿地 (UGS) 的归属感是否以及如何发生变化大流行的开始以及 (2) UGS 使用、满意度和归属感的变化如何与纽约市 (NYC) 社区的社会人口学特征相关。参与者 ( N= 138) 是种族多样化的，主要是女性，年龄在 18-44 岁之间，社区收入中位数为 67,500 美元。虽然人们对其 UGS 的满意度并未随着大流行的抵消而改变，但人们使用这些空间的程度以及他们在其中“感到宾至如归”的程度却发生了变化。与大流行前使用这些空间相比，参与者报告目前使用 UGS 的情况更多。在白人参与者和居住在中高收入和高收入地区的参与者中，UGS 使用的增加尤为明显。在归属感方面，同样的趋势也很明显。总体而言，纽约人报告称，由于大流行，对 UGS 空间的归属感更强。与 UGS 的使用一样，虽然两者都报告了良好的归属感，白人和较富裕的参与者在大流行前有更强的归属感，并且他们的归属感因大流行而表现出更大的上升。总体而言，我们的研究表明，COVID-19 扩大了纽约市现有的社会空间差距，最低收入社区受到的影响最大。我们建议进一步探索 UGS 的归属感，将其作为促进多元文化城市中城市绿色公平的途径。