Green gentrification has emerged as a critical and dynamic research field in environmental justice and gentrification. Few studies have systematically reviewed the current state of green gentrification literature. This paper adopts a CiteSpace-based bibliometric approach to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze 186 publications from the Web of Science database from 2009 to 2022. The objective is to assess the fundamental characteristics, identify research hotspots, themes, frontiers, and future trends in green gentrification, and present a knowledge map. The results reveal the following: (1) Green gentrification research has moved through the preparation, primary, and prosperity stages and, since 2014, has experienced exponential growth while maintaining a robust upward trend. Knowledge of green gentrification is primarily drawn from urban studies, environmental research, geography, and interdisciplinary trends that are increasingly apparent. Although North America and Europe have produced the most research outcomes, the number of studies from South America, Asia, and Australia is rising. (2) Research hotspots initially comprised the conceptualization and theoretical framework of green gentrification and then shifted to empirical studies that identify green gentrification and its social–spatial effects. The current research focus is on the mechanisms and characteristics of green gentrification. (3) Five key themes were identified, including conceptualizing green gentrification, operationalizing green gentrification for local applicability, social–spatial effects, exploring explanatory frameworks or models, and strategic response to green gentrification. (4) Four potential future directions for green gentrification research in the context of three current research trends were proposed: broadening the scope of non-North American case studies, advancing interdisciplinary theoretical innovation, expanding the analysis of green gentrification characteristics, and exploring demand-side drivers of green gentrification. This study enhances the understanding of existing knowledge in green gentrification-related research and provides a reference for future theoretical and empirical studies.

While the mental health benefits of urban green spaces (UGS) are increasingly recognized, less is known about how these relationships vary for socially marginalized groups. This study investigates the association between UGS and mental health among rural-to-urban migrants in Wuhan, China, examining the roles of the quality and quantity of UGS and the intermediary function of perceived everyday discrimination. We used Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling to analyze data from a social survey, integrating with park-related social media ratings, street view imagery, and geospatial datasets to characterize UGS features and contextual factors, therefore verifying our hypotheses. Both the quality and quantity of UGS significantly influence migrants’ mental health, with quantity demonstrating a stronger overall correlation, challenging common assumptions. Notably, social media scores of parks, reflecting positive user experiences, were found to improve mental health. However, the relationship with UGS quantity was nuanced: higher park density and green view index were positively associated with mental health, while increased park area proportion demonstrated the opposite effect. Furthermore, perceived discrimination emerged as a critical socio-psychological factor and operated spatial heterogeneity. In inner-city areas, neighborhoods characterized by plaza-type parks and high park density were associated with reduced perceived discrimination among migrants, showing active social functions of UGS. However, larger park areas are paradoxically correlated with increased discrimination experiences and poorer mental health. Interestingly, this mediatory effect of perceived discrimination was less pronounced in inner-suburban areas. These findings suggest a nuanced role of UGS in the lives of migrants. While certain aspects of UGS quantity, such as plentiful smaller parks, can facilitate social inclusion and improve mental health, others, like overlarge parks, may unintentionally contribute to feelings of marginalization and negatively impact mental health. Our findings highlight the crucial need for context-sensitive green space planning that balances quality and quantity while mitigating discriminatory experiences to improve the mental health of rural-to-urban migrants.