Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) are vital for providing ecosystem services, enhancing residents' well-being, and ensuring equitable access to these areas. This study aims to identify potential sites for the development of UGSs in the Greater Zarqa Municipality, a city situated in an arid region. It evaluates multiple criteria to address existing disparities through an integrated UGS exposure index, while prioritizing the needs of underserved populations. To assess and rank potential sites for UGS development, a combination of multi-criteria analysis and the integrated UGS exposure index were employed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process played a crucial role in evaluating land suitability by establishing essential criteria for assessment. Within this framework, pairwise comparisons were made among various criteria for UGS site selection, ranked by importance as follows: population density, proximity to roads, proximity to residential areas, land use/land cover, distance from existing UGS, distance from industrial zones, slope, and elevation. The findings were consolidated into a UGS exposure index map, which revealed that 19.8 km(2) (4.8%) and 63.8 km(2) (15.3%) of the municipality's land are classified as highly suitable and suitable for new UGS development, respectively. However, only 4.5% and 11% of the identified low UGS exposure areas overlap with these suitable zones, indicating that most of the suitable areas correspond to high UGS exposure zones. These results underscore the importance of integrating the integrated UGS exposure index with site suitability analysis to effectively guide greening initiatives in underserved areas, thereby promoting equitable access to green spaces. This approach provides valuable insights for urban planners and decision-makers striving to enhance greenspace distribution and improve environmental and social equity.Graphical AbstractThis graphical abstract depicts the technique employed to identify and examine potential Urban Green Space (UGS) sites in Zarqa, Jordan, an arid city. The method not only identifies suitable locations but prioritizes their distribution based on community needs, rather than relying exclusively on biophysical suitability. A series of raster layers was developed for the study area; each was assigned different weights reflecting the relative importance of selected criteria influencing site suitability for new UGS development. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), supported by a pairwise comparison matrix, facilitated the assignment of these weights. The criteria, ranked by decreasing influence, are presented in the center of the graphical abstract. The Multi-Criteria Decision-Making analysis, integrated with AHP, was utilized to identify and rank suitable sites, as shown in the upper right corner of the abstract. To bridge the gap between theoretical suitability and actual community need, this spatial output was combined with the neighborhood UGS exposure index map, effectively addressing the "missing piece of the puzzle." The map located in the bottom right corner of the graphical abstract illustrates the practical application of integrating UGS exposure and suitability data. Results indicate that few suitable sites are found in neighborhoods with low UGS exposure. Thus, merging the integrated UGS exposure index with site suitability analysis offers a more focused and equitable strategy for enhancing greening efforts in underserved areas, ultimately promoting fair access to UGS.