The green gap framework: Understanding non and low use of urban greenspaces

Despite the well-documented benefits of engaging with nature, up to a quarter of the UK population rarely utilises their urban greenspaces. This is despite evidence that those who engage the least with greenspace could derive the most significant health benefits from such interactions. Addressing this gap is a focus of the GroundsWell consortium, a large research programme that aims to transform access to urban green and blue spaces to improve health and reduce inequalities. As part of this initiative, this paper presents the development of a novel theoretical framework designed to identify and map the modifiable multilevel factors influencing non and low use. Employing an iterative process, the framework was developed through literature review, expert consultation, and stakeholder collaboration across practice, policy and research. It conceptualises barriers and facilitators across four interconnected domains: individual, social and community, physical environment, and political and societal. The framework illustrates how these domains interact to influence engagement, providing a tool for understanding the complex reasons behind non and low use of urban greenspace. Drawing on academic and non-academic sources, it demonstrates that urban greenspace planning, and design alone are insufficient if societal and social barriers persist. This framework has the potential to inform future policy, urban planning and management strategies, and research aimed at reducing inequalities in access to greenspace. It is designed as a dynamic tool that evolves in response to ongoing empirical research and practical applications, inviting further refinement by researchers, policymakers and practitioners to address health inequalities effectively.