The equigenic potential of green window views for city dwellers’ well-being

Abstract

Previous studies found smaller differences in well-being between socio-economic status groups in very green urban areas. We argue that the view of greenery from home is the fundamental unit of a green neighborhood and analyze its relationship with residential satisfaction. Drawing on the equigenesis hypothesis, we expect that lower-class citizens benefit more from green window views than upper-class citizens. The data come from a population survey with a random selection of 1,800 respondents in two purposefully chosen German cities that collected extensive information on both perceived neighborhood greening and social background. The results show that green window views are associated with increased residential satisfaction, which is particularly pronounced among lower class citizens. The findings are robust against environmental stressors and further indicators of wealth associated with having green window views. The study provides new insights into the benefits of greenery in compact cities and supports the hypothesis of its equigenic potential.