Multi-criteria evaluation of urban leisure sports parks from a spatial justice perspective: Three Parks in Beijing

Urban leisure sports parks (ULSPs) represent a distinct type of public space that integrates competitive sports facilities with recreational functions, yet their role in advancing spatial justice remains underexplored. Unlike traditional parks designed primarily for passive recreation, ULSPs actively promote physical activity and social interaction, making them critical infrastructure for public health and community building in rapidly urbanizing contexts. However, existing research on spatial equity in Chinese cities has predominantly focused on distributive justice, measured through facility quantity and physical accessibility, while neglecting the experiential, social, and cultural dimensions that determine whether parks are genuinely inclusive and usable. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating a multi-dimensional framework for assessing spatial justice in ULSPs. Three representative Beijing parks were selected to capture variation in scale and context: Olympic Forest Park (mega-event legacy with competitive focus), Sun Park (comprehensive city park), and Huilongguan Park (community-level facility serving residents). Data collection involved behavioural observations and 270 on-site questionnaire surveys conducted from August to September 2021. Based on a systematic literature review, factor analysis identified five critical dimensions: maintenance and management, diversity, safety, accessibility and connectivity, and attractiveness and appeal. The findings challenge conventional planning assumptions by revealing that management quality (factor weight 0.32) and functional diversity (0.28) contribute more significantly to perceived spatial justice than physical accessibility (0.11) or aesthetic design (0.04). This inverts the prevailing emphasis on coverage metrics in Chinese urban planning policy. Theoretically, the framework extends spatial justice scholarship by demonstrating that equity is not achieved through initial resource allocation alone but requires sustained operational commitment and culturally responsive design. For practice, achieving spatial justice in ULSPs requires reorienting public investment from capital construction toward ongoing maintenance, safety infrastructure, and culturally responsive programming that accommodates diverse user needs.HighlightsA multidimensional framework evaluates spatial justice in urban leisure sports parksUser perceptions show management quality outweighs physical access in park equityFunctional diversity and safety drive inclusive use of sports-oriented urban parksMixed methods link theory, observation, and surveys in park justice assessmentEvidence from Beijing challenges access-focused urban park planning models