The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has issued a new study on access to urban green spaces in Europe (“Study”). It shows that this access remains limited and highly unequal, with strong links to climate conditions and socioeconomic factors. The Study is available at this link.

Analysing data from 862 European cities, the Study shows that many urban residents do not benefit from sufficient trees, parks or green infrastructure, despite growing evidence of the importance of urban nature for health, wellbeing and climate resilience. The assessment is structured around the widely used “3‑30‑300” principle for urban greening. This benchmark suggests that residents should be able to see at least three trees from their home, live in neighbourhoods with 30% tree canopy cover, and be within 300 metres of a high‑quality green space. The study finds that fewer than 15% of Europe’s urban population fully meet all three criteria, while around one fifth do not meet any of them, highlighting a substantial gap between policy ambitions and on‑the‑ground reality.

The results also point to a clear geographical divide driven by climate. Cities in northern and western Europe, which benefit from cooler and wetter conditions, tend to have higher levels of tree cover and better access to green spaces. In contrast, southern European cities show significantly lower compliance with the greening benchmarks, underlining the additional challenges posed by hotter and drier climates at a time of increasing heat stress due to climate change.

Beyond climate, the study identifies a pronounced “green divide” linked to income and wealth. Wealthier neighbourhoods are consistently better served by trees and parks, while lower‑income areas often have limited access to urban greenery. This reinforces existing social inequalities and means that the communities most vulnerable to environmental stressors such as heat and air pollution are often those with the least natural protection.

The JRC concludes that reversing these trends will require more ambitious and targeted urban greening policies, aligned with EU initiatives such as the European Green Deal, the Nature Restoration Regulation, and the Green City Accord. Bringing nature back into cities is presented not only as an environmental goal, but as a key element of sustainable, inclusive and climate‑resilient urban development across Europe.