How a Lack of Green in the Residential Environment Lowers the Life Satisfaction of City Dwellers and Increases Their Willingness to Relocate

Stefanie Kley,Tetiana Dovbishchuk

doi:10.3390/su13073984

Abstract

This paper investigates whether various forms of green spaces in the residential environment are associated with city dwellers’ life satisfaction and their willingness to relocate. Previous research on different forms of green spaces in the residential environment as a direct source of life satisfaction is scarce, and we know little about whether green spaces affect the decision to relocate. We address these topics with a two-equation model that estimates respondents’ considerations to relocate while accounting for life satisfaction. With this strategy, we are able to test which aspects of residential greenery (window view, green environment, green yard, own garden, and balcony) are associated with one or both outcomes, controlling for life-course events and demographic characteristics. The data come from a primary survey conducted in two large German cities, Cologne and Hamburg, in 2020/21 (N = 1886). The results show that not having green elements in the window view, not having a green yard, and—exclusively for parents—not having a garden increase the likelihood of considering residential relocation. Not having a balcony and not having a garden are directly associated with decreased life satisfaction, and decreased life satisfaction triggers the willingness to relocate.

Highlights

Living in green environments can be expected to be positively associated with happiness and life satisfaction, as humans possess an innate need to affiliate with nature [1].According to the “biophilia hypothesis”, this innate need is embedded in our biology, as humans began to live in cities only recently in their evolutionary history [2]
We hypothesize that city dwellers’ perception of a lack of green in their residential environment is associated with decreased life satisfaction (H1a) and considering residential relocation (H1b), and we explore whether this possible association holds when controlling for demographic characteristics and life-course events
Among the population living in the two cities Cologne and Hamburg, 8% see no green or almost no green when looking out of their windows at home, and 5% perceive a lack of green spaces in the vicinity

Summary

Introduction

Living in green environments can be expected to be positively associated with happiness and life satisfaction, as humans possess an innate need to affiliate with nature [1].According to the “biophilia hypothesis”, this innate need is embedded in our biology, as humans began to live in cities only recently in their evolutionary history [2]. Living in green environments can be expected to be positively associated with happiness and life satisfaction, as humans possess an innate need to affiliate with nature [1]. In line with the biophilia hypothesis, the restorative benefits of nature were attributed to the effortless enjoyment of natural settings that allows attentional recovery and reflection [10,15]. Already the view on natural elements out of the window was found to be positively associated with aspects of mental health [14,16], which was first suggested by Ulrich’s seminal work on the faster physical recovery from surgery in patients who had a bed with a window view of trees [17]. Comprehensive literature reviews provide evidence for the claim that people living in greener environments have better mental health and report fewer physical symptoms than those deprived of access to nature [7,18,19].

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