The Green Equity Index: A Comprehensive Approach to Evaluating Green Space in Urban Areas

Urban green spaces play a vital role in sustainability, yet quantifying them using diverse datasets remains a challenge. This paper introduces a novel framework to evaluate green space equity by integrating satellite imagery, weather data, and housing prices. Using image processing and clustering, we extract vegetation features and combine them with temperature and economic indicators. The proposed Green Equity Index (GEI) offers a composite score reflecting both environmental quality and socio-economic access to greenery. Results highlight disparities in green space distribution, linking vegetation coverage to temperature patterns and property values. The GEI serves as a valuable tool for policymakers and urban planners to identify underserved communities and promote equitable green infrastructure development. This approach enables scalable, data-driven assessment of urban greenery, supporting more inclusive and sustainable city planning.