Background climate and socioeconomic conditions constrain global urban–rural contrasts in vegetation amount, subtype, and structure

Urban vegetation provides critical ecosystem services, from microclimate regulation to biodiversity support. However, most large-scale assessments of urban vegetation rely on spectral ‘greenness’ indices that cannot resolve vegetation structure or composition. To address this, we quantify fine-scale structural and compositional vegetation traits, including leaf area index (LAI), tree height, and vegetation subtypes, across 83,102 cities and their rural surroundings by fusing millions of satellite images and satellite-derived products. Fewer than 10%, 24%, and 37% of cities exceed rural LAI, tree height, and tree cover fraction, respectively. These urban–rural contrasts in vegetation characteristics are modulated by background climate, with Arid cities showing weaker structural differences consistent with an 'oasis effect'. Socioeconomic context, classified by comparing cities in the Global North versus Global South, further shapes these patterns. Our study demonstrates that urban-rural vegetation contrasts emerge from the combined influence of climatic constraints and divergent vegetation management practices globally.