Spatial misalignment between urban greening initiatives and air pollution hotspots in Dubai

Urban greening is increasingly promoted as a response to environmental pressures, yet its capacity to improve air quality in arid cities remains uncertain. This study examines the relationship between urban green spaces (UGSs) and air pollution in Dubai using eight years of monitoring data from 14 stations combined with satellite-derived vegetation mapping. Results show that while vegetation expansion modestly coincides with declining nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels, particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) concentrations remain persistently high and well above World Health Organization guidelines. More critically, spatial analysis reveals a mismatch. UGSs are concentrated in large recreational parks and low-exposure zones, whereas high-density residential and traffic corridors, where pollution burdens are greatest, are underserved. These findings underscore the limits of UGSs as a uniform intervention for pollution mitigation. In Dubai, greening has been shaped more by aesthetic and prestige-driven agendas than by public health priorities, reflecting wider debates in urban political ecology about symbolic versus substantive environmental action. The study contributes theoretically by highlighting the context dependency of UGSs, methodologically by integrating long-term air quality and GIS analysis, and practically by calling for equity-driven, data-informed greening strategies in arid cities.