Assessing the wellbeing and therapeutic potential of urban green spaces: An indicator-based framework and cross-cultural comparison of community gardens

• Developed an indicator-based framework to assess the wellbeing and therapeutic potential of urban green spaces. • Conducted cross-cultural comparisons of four case studies in Japan, China, and the United States. • Integrated ecological–sensory, spatial–affordance, and participatory–governance indicators into a composite index. • Identified three “pathways to wellbeing” — design-led, participatory, and balanced. • Provides a replicable and adaptable tool for embedding healing and wellbeing landscapes into community contexts. Amid rapid urbanization, everyday green spaces have become essential to urban health infrastructure. Yet, the specific ecological, sensory, and par- ticipatory mechanisms through which community gardens support mental and social well-being remain insufficiently understood. This study develops a transparent, indicator-based framework to assess the therapeutic poten- tial of urban green spaces. Drawing on four documented cases—two profes- sionally designed therapeutic landscapes (Japan, USA) and two participa- tory community gardens (China, USA)—we conducted a systematic desk- based audit using publicly available materials. Indicators across three bun- dles—ecology–sensory, space–afordance, and participation–governance—were normalized and aggregated into a composite Therapeutic Potential Com- posite (TPC) index. Results reveal three distinct pathways to therapeutic outcomes: design-led, participatory, and balanced. Professionally designed landscapes achieved higher ecological and spatial scores, while community- driven projects demonstrated stronger governance resilience. Despite difer- ing configurations, comparable therapeutic potential emerged across cases. The study contributes a replicable method for evaluating health-promoting landscapes and identifies context-sensitive strategies for embedding therapeu- tic landscapes principles into community-scale green spaces. These findings ofer actionable insights for integrating nature-based design, participatory governance, and health equity into urban planning and policy.