Green-blue Spaces Research Articles

Wild or neat? Personal traits affect public preference for wildness of urban lakeshores in France and China

Urban natural spaces with high wildness degrees could harbor greater biodiversity and provide more experiences of nature for urbanites than green–blue spaces that are perfectly manicured and regularly maintained. Existing empirical studies have suggested that people tend to prefer moderately wild landscapes. However, urbanites’ preferences for varying wildness degrees of urban landscapes have rarely been studied in developing countries with fast-growing cities. Using a photograph-based survey, this study compared citizens’ preferences for an urban wildness gradient of urban lakeshores between developed (Tours, France) and developing (Wuhan, China) contexts. In Tours and Wuhan, respectively, 120 and 295 questionnaires were collected, focusing on lakeshore visitors only. Bootstrapping and thematic analysis of the survey responses affirmed that urban lakeshores with medium-degree wildness are consistently preferred across developed and developing contexts, a result that can be attributed to the perceived balance between landscape coherence/legibility and complexity/mystery. Moreover, some respondents (25.8 % from Tours and 32.6 % from Wuhan) showed a strong preference for complex and unstructured lakeshore landscapes with high wildness for different reasons. In Tours, respondents’ preference for high wildness degree was associated with more frequent visits to lakeshore areas. In Wuhan, a similar preference was associated with increasing age. While increasing the wildness of urban lakeshores from low to medium could adequately meet public preferences, attracting more frequent visits and helping younger residents to appreciate urban wildness should be considered for successfully restoring/enriching biodiversity and mobilizing public support for wild urban landscapes.

Modifying temperature-related cardiovascular mortality through green-blue space exposure

Green-blue spaces (GBS) are pivotal in mitigating thermal discomfort. However, their management lacks guidelines rooted in epidemiological evidence for specific planning and design. Here we show how various GBS types modify the link between non-optimal temperatures and cardiovascular mortality across different thermal extremes. We merged fine-scale population density and GBS data to create novel GBS exposure index. A case time series approach was employed to analyse temperature-cardiovascular mortality association and the effect modifications of type-specific GBSs across 1085 subdistricts in south-eastern China. Our findings indicate that both green and blue spaces may significantly reduce high-temperature-related cardiovascular mortality risks (e.g., for low (5%) vs. high (95%) level of overall green spaces at 99th vs. minimum mortality temperature (MMT), Ratio of relative risk (RRR) = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.21); for overall blue spaces, RRR = 1.20 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.29)), while specific blue space types offer protection against cold temperatures (e.g., for the rivers at 1st vs MMT, RRR = 1.17 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.28)). Notably, forests, parks, nature reserves, street greenery, and lakes are linked with lower heat-related cardiovascular mortality, whereas rivers and coasts mitigate cold-related cardiovascular mortality. Blue spaces provide greater benefits than green spaces. The severity of temperature extremes further amplifies GBS's protective effects. This study enhances our understanding of how type-specific GBS influences health risks associated with non-optimal temperatures, offering valuable insights for integrating GBS into climate adaptation strategies for maximal health benefits.

Configuration characteristics of green-blue spaces for efficient cooling in urban environments

Optimizing green-blue space layouts is crucial in mitigating heat islands in built-up areas, and their cooling effects are influenced by both their own characteristics and the surrounding environments. However, the configuration characteristics of green-blue spaces with high cooling efficiency are still unclear. Additionally, the impact of surroundings on the generation and dispersion of cold sources has not been thoroughly studied. This study establishes a framework to identify the configuration characteristics of green-blue spaces with efficient cooling from four perspectives: occupation, dominance, regularity, and aggregation, and considering building environment, landscape composition, and adjacent influences to control surrounding influences. The Generalized Additive Model was employed to analyze the relationship between these factors and the mean temperature of corresponding units. The results demonstrate that efficient cooling landscape configurations vary among building densities. In low-density groups with an average building height of 3 floors and occupancy of 15 %, scattered small patches can enhance beneficial areas. Conversely, high-density groups with an average building height of 15 floors and occupancy of 32 % require more regular, large-scale patches. These findings offer tailored green-blue space layout strategies for Shanghai and similar large cities to achieve optimal cooling effects while considering limited land resources.

Green space and the health of the older adult during pandemics: a narrative review on the experience of COVID-19.

Aging is an inevitable process that leads to changes in various dimensions of older adult life, including physical, psychological, and social aspects. Unfortunately, older adults are more susceptible to health problems caused by adverse experiences such as the Corona outbreak. The current study examines the lived experience of older adults in facing the conditions of the Corona epidemic to see how green spaces at various scales can influence the physical and mental health of this group. Relevant articles published, from 2019 to February 17, 2023, were searched using in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Eligible studies published in English and all studies passed a quality evaluation. In the final search, 40 articles were selected and analyzed. The majority of studies conducted during the pandemic categorized the impact of green spaces on the health of older adults into three main categories: Place-based attribute, Process, and Function. The findings of this study demonstrated that people were using private green spaces (gardens, balconies, etc.), small local green public spaces, sitting and gathering spaces in the neighborhood, nearby open spaces, and urban green-blue spaces throughout the epidemic era. They visited green spaces outside the city and urban areas, including urban gardens, agricultural areas, forestlands, and pastures. In this research, we investigated the characteristics of these spaces and classified them into four physical categories: urban landscape, land use, activity, movement, and accessibility. The results showed that exposure to nature or green space improved physical and mental health and increased attention and decision-making quality in older people. We have proposed design implications recommendations for crises to improve safety, security, and social capital by increasing the safe access of older adults to diverse and high-quality green spaces on different scales, which will ultimately enhance the physical and mental health of people in different age groups.

Spatial Patterns of Urban Green-Blue Spaces and Residents’ Well-Being: The Mediating Effect of Neighborhood Social Cohesion

Urban green-blue spaces (UGBS) can benefit residents’ well-being through multiple pathways. Previous studies have confirmed that the quantity and composition of UGBS can promote neighborhood social cohesion, which subsequently contributes to residents’ physical and mental health. However, there has been little attention paid to the spatial patterns of UGBS in such relationships. This study adopted landscape pattern indexes to characterize the spatial patterns of UGBS and explored the mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ well-being, measured by self-rated health (SRH) and happiness. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used for analyses with data obtained from the 2018 Shandong Provincial Social Survey Questionnaire (SGSS), which included 773 selected residents in urban areas. The results indicated that (1) there was a mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ SRH and happiness; (2) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had greater impacts on enhancing neighborhood social cohesion than the size, complexity, and fragmentation; (3) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had indirect effects on improving happiness and SRH, and the aggregation of UGBS had a direct positive effect on SRH. By focusing on the spatial patterns of UGBS and neighborhood social cohesion, this study extends current debates on the pathways among UGBS, social cohesion, and public health. Urban planning strategies were proposed to increase the benefits of UGBS in urban areas.

Urban Constructed Wetlands in Arid and Semiarid Zones

Abstract The development of societies and the increasing growth of recent constructions, especially in cities, have caused environmental issues, destruction, and reduction of natural resources and the environment, especially green and green-blue spaces. According to studies, in the past years, many parts of natural and even pristine surfaces and spaces in big cities have been turned into artificial, and impermeable spaces, which has aggravated environmental and ecological problems and also it has aggravated the aesthetic characteristics of the urban landscape, particularly in arid and semiarid areas. In this case, the studies show that identifying and applying natural ecosystems such as wetlands and their artificial types due to their multifunctional aspects and benefits, especially in urban areas, can be the basis for reducing many issues mentioned. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to this critical issue and do more research to know different types of constructed wetland ecosystems along with their services and values. The primary aim of this research is to identify the values and services of this ecosystem and to examine the diverse patterns of constructed wetlands in order to extract and design simple patterns of construcred wetlands. We want to know their role and position in landscape architecture and urban planning and design process. Also, this study aims to examine the potencial and possibillity of building constructed wetlands in urban areas particularly in arid areas and Mediterranean regions, according to Koppen climate classiffication. In this regard, the theoretical framework is provided based on the study of specialized texts and the study of similar foreign case studies and diverse patterns of urban wetlands with their different functions. These reviews have been done in a specific format consisting of some main aspects, such as the function and supply sources of wetlands. The final result and extractted simplified patterns, according to case studies, can be considered as a framework for designing and planning urban constructed wetlands and a guide for planning and designing a landscape consisting of this element, especially in areas with arid, semiarid, and Mediterranean climates with hot and dry summers.

Toward a Healthy Urban Living Environment: Assessing 15-Minute Green-Blue Space Accessibility

Exposure to green-blue space has been shown to be associated with better physical and mental health outcomes. The advent of COVID-19 has underlined the importance for people to have access to green-blue spaces in proximity to their residences due to pandemic-related restrictions on activity space. The implementation of the 15-min concept, which advocates that people should be able to reach locations of essential functions like green-blue spaces within 15 min of active travel, can bring green-blue spaces nearer to where people live. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of understanding of the social and spatial (in)equality in 15-min green-blue space accessibility by active travel in cities seeking to embrace the concept, such as Hong Kong. This study explores 15-min green-blue space accessibility by walking and cycling in Hong Kong to reveal the distribution of disadvantaged neighborhoods. The results show that neighborhoods in Kowloon’s districts are the most disadvantaged in accessing green-blue spaces within 15 min of active travel. Our study provides policymakers with valuable insights and knowledge conducive to formulating policies aimed at reducing inequality in 15-min accessibility.

A framework to evaluate the accessibility, visibility, and intelligibility of green-blue spaces (GBSs) related to pedestrian movement

The planning of green-blue spaces (GBSs) requires considering the pedestrian needs in their walking routes for improving the walking experience. Incorporating the quantitative spatial characteristics of pedestrian movement is essential for pedestrian-friendly urban planning, which however received insufficient attention. Based on the space syntax theory, this study provided three indicators – accessibility, visibility, and intelligibility – to demonstrate the needs of physical access, visual access, and spatial cognition, respectively, in pedestrian movement. Measuring these three indicators, this study exemplified the planning of pedestrian-friendly GBSs using Guangzhou, China as a case study. Spatial design network analysis was used to quantify heterogeneous values of accessibility, visibility, and intelligibility of each GBS throughout the city. Moreover, we used principal component analysis to identify the leading indicators based on their weightings and then to calculate the scores to compare these three aspects of GBSs. The measurements of accessibility, visibility, and intelligibility of each GBS were then averaged across urban administrative districts for evaluating city-scale GBSs. The findings showed that GBSs in central districts were most accessible and visible but least intelligible. In contrast, the overall intelligibility of GBSs throughout the city was the greatest but the visibility was the least. Furthermore, intelligibility, as a more important factor than accessibility and visibility, should be particularly emphasized in future planning of pedestrian-friendly GBSs. Pedestrians from the central districts of Guangzhou city were most satisfied with the walking experience, in terms of accessing to, viewing, and cognizing the GBSs. ‘Yuexiu’, ‘Huadu’, and ‘Nansha’ districts were found as the key places where improved accessibility, visibility, and intelligibility were particularly needed to improve the GBS pedestrian-friendliness throughout the city. In summary, this study not only demonstrated a human-scale GBS evaluation framework for improving the human walking experience but also provided empirical evidence for building pedestrian-friendly green-blue spaces at the city scale.

Exposure to green-blue spaces and mental health: a retrospective e-cohort study in Wales

BackgroundGrowing cross-sectional evidence links access to green-blue spaces with mental health benefits, but studies at an individual level and at a national population scale are scarce. This gap can be addressed through the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, which allows household-level green-blue spaces access and exposure data to be linked to individual-level health-care use. MethodsWithin the SAIL Databank, an e-cohort of the population of Wales (2008–19) was created from green-blue space metrics and the Welsh Longitudinal General Practice database. Green-blue spaces metrics (derived from satellite imagery and planning data) included average ambient greenness within 300 m of the home (designated as the Enhanced Vegetation Index) and average access to green-blue spaces (designated as the number of green-blue spaces within 1600 m of the home). A validated algorithm was applied to create a common mental health disorder flag and linked to green-blue spaces exposure (ambient greenness and access) recorded for individuals not affected by common mental health disorders. We used multivariate logistic regression models to test the hypothesis that greater green-blue spaces exposure is associated with a reduced likelihood of a flagged common mental health disorder. Subgroup analyses were done for socioeconomic deprivation. FindingsThe e-cohort comprised 2 341 591 individuals (1 193 240 men and 1 148 351 women), aged 16 or over and registered with a general practice in the SAIL Databank. After adjusting for individual and area-level covariates, a unit increase in ambient greenness around the home and access to green-blue spaces within 1600 m were associated with lower odds of a common mental health disorder (adjusted odds ratio 0·11 [95% CI 0·11–0·12] for ambient greenness around the home and 0·47 [0·46–0·48] for access to green-blue spaces within 1600 m). A unit increase in ambient greenness was associated with reduced odds of a common mental health disorder for residents of the most deprived areas (n=473 410; 0·22 [0·20–0·24]) and of the least deprived areas (n=480 424; 0·07 [0·07–0·08]). InterpretationPeople with greater exposure to green-blue spaces were less likely to develop a common mental health disorder and the effect is modified by socioeconomic deprivation. This finding has implications for both public health policy and urban planning. This large, adult-population cohort provides sufficient power to examine variations between subgroups to investigate inequalities. FundingThe project was developed as part of independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (study number 16/07/07).

Green-Blue Spaces and Population Density versus COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Poland.

In the last year, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, scientific papers have appeared in which the authors are trying to identify factors (including environmental) favoring the spread of this disease. This paper presents the spatial differentiation in the total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths during the full year (March 2020–March 2021) of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Poland versus green-blue spaces (green—i.a. forests, orchards, meadows and pastures, recreational and rest areas, biologically active arable land; blue—lakes and artificial water reservoirs, rivers, ecological areas and internal waters) and population density. The analysis covers 380 counties, including 66 cities. This study used daily reports on the progress of the pandemic in Poland published by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Poland and unique, detailed data on 24 types of land use available in the Statistics Poland database. Statistical relationships were determined between the above-mentioned environmental variables and the variables characterizing COVID-19 (cases and deaths). Various basic types of regression models were analysed. The optimal model was selected, and the determination coefficient, significance level and the values of the parameters of these relationships, together with the estimation error, were calculated. The obtained results indicated that the higher the number of green-blue spaces in individual counties, the lower the total number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. These relationships were described by logarithmic and homographic models. In turn, an increase in the population density caused an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to the power model. These results can be used in the current analysis of the spread of the pandemic, including the location of potential outbreaks. In turn, the developed models can be used as a tool in forecasting the development of the pandemic and making decisions about the implementation of preventive measures.

Assessment of urban cooling effect based on downscaled land surface temperature: A case study for Fukuoka, Japan

The phenomenon of urban areas becoming warmer than surrounding rural areas, known as urban heat island, is one of the biggest urban issues due to human activities. The study adopted random forests (RF) based downscaling land surface temperature (LST) to assess the surface urban heat island (SUHI) of Fukuoka, Japan. The LST images were first downscaled to 250 m spatial resolution, and then the seasonal and diurnal SUHI was identified. The results implied that the SUHI in summer daytime is the most significant while in winter nighttime is the least significant in the area. Through the bivariate Moran's I test and zonal statistics, the cooling effect of the green-blue spaces were evaluated. The forest has the most substantial urban cooling effect with the average LST change occurs at a distance of about 1 km (maximum 6.32 K). The cooling effect of the sea is significant during daytime, whilst that of the lake/river and the cropland/grassland is not obvious. We concluded the urban population and land use and land cover (LULC) are significantly spatial correlated to UHI, and are important factors of considering the urban heat island (UHI) mitigation strategies.

The cooling effect of hybrid land-use patterns and their marginal effects at the neighborhood scale

Mitigating urban heat islands in neighborhoods is one of the most important issues in landscape planning. Identifying land-use patterns with cooling effect and applying them in practice is a way to reduce neighborhoods’ temperature. However, there are relatively few relevant theoretical and practical studies at present. A combination of factors influences the thermal environment of a neighborhood. With the increasing complexity of neighborhood land-uses, the cooling effect of these factors is difficult to measure individually and need to be considered from a holistic perspective. What kinds of hybrid land-use patterns (HLPs) in neighborhoods have the cooling effect and are prone to creating cold islands? This is a big question to environmental optimization and sustainable development, and there has little discussion about it. To address this, this paper proposed a technical framework for delineating and analyzing the cooling effect of HLPs at the neighborhood scale. Taking Jinan City as an example, four indicators were selected to describe the characteristics of HLPs, including building surface ratio (BSR), green-blue space surface ratio (GBSR), impervious surface ratio (ISR), and average building height (MAH). With the K-Medoids clustering algorithm, ten HLPs were delineated, and their marginal effects were analyzed by the Boosting Regression Trees (BRT) model. The study found that HLPs dominated by high-rise buildings and by green-blue spaces had the most pronounced cooling effect; low- and mid-rise dominated HLPs showed a weak cooling effect when the mean GBSR reached 34%, and the cooling effect of green-blue space and impervious surface dominated HLPs are more obvious when the mean GBSR reached 48%. The technical framework proposed in this paper provides a new perspective on thermal environment research and heat island mitigation at the neighborhood scale, which is applicable to cities with various climatic backgrounds and landscape characteristics and of generalization value.

Exploring how the urban neighborhood environment influences mental well-being using walking interviews.

Mental well-being in cities is being challenged worldwide and a more detailed understanding of how urban environments influence mental well-being is needed. This qualitative study explores neighborhood factors and their interactions in relation to mental well-being. Individual semi-structured walking interviews were conducted with 28 adults living in the Brussels-Capital Region. This paper provides a detailed description of physical neighborhood factors (green-blue spaces, services, design and maintenance, traffic, cellphone towers) and social neighborhood factors (neighbor ties, neighbor diversity, social security) that link to mental well-being. A socio-ecological framework is presented to explain interactions among those neighborhood factors, and personal and institutional factors, in relation to mental well-being. The findings are linked to existing concepts and theories to better understand the mechanisms underlying the associations between the urban neighborhood environment and mental well-being. Finally, implications of the walking interview method are discussed.

Green-Blue Spaces and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Data Linkage Study

IntroductionA growing evidence base indicates health benefits are associated with access to green-blue spaces (GBS), such as beaches and parks. However, few studies have examined associations with changes in access to GBS over time.
 Objectives and ApproachWe have linked cross-sector data collected within Wales, United Kingdom, quarterly from 2008 to 2019, to examine the impact of GBS access on individual-level well-being and common mental health disorders (CMD). We created a longitudinal dataset of GBS access metrics, derived from satellite and administrative data sources, for 1.4 million homes in Wales. These household-level metrics were linked to individuals using the Welsh Demographic Service Dataset within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Linkage to Welsh Longitudinal General Practice data within SAIL enabled us to identify individual-level CMD over time. We also linked individual-level self-reported GBS use and well-being data from the National Survey for Wales (NSW) to routine data for cross-sectional survey participants.
 ResultsWe created a longitudinal cohort panel capturing all 2.84 million adults aged 16+ living in Wales between 2008 and 2019 and with a general practitioner (GP) registration. Individual-level health data and household-level environmental metrics were linked for each quarter an individual is in the study. Household addresses were linked to 97% of the cohort, creating 110+ million rows of anonymously linked cross-sector data. The cohort provides an average follow-up period of 8 years, during which 565,168 (20%) adults received at least one CMD diagnosis or symptom.
 Conclusion / ImplicationsThis example of multi-sectoral data linkage across multiple environmental and administrative data sources has created a rich data source, which we will use toquantify the impact of changes in GBS access on individual–level CMD and well-being. This evidence will inform policy in the areas of health, planning and the environment.

Community Attitude towards Urban Green-Blue Space and Perceived Cultural Ecosystem Benefits: A Preliminary Study at Taiping Lake Garden, Perak, Malaysia

blue spaces. Attitude towards green-blue space were also studied. However, little attention is given to perceived benefits and attitude components in ecosystem service research. This paper aims to examine community attitudes towards urban green-blue spaces and its association with perceived benefits based on cultural ecosystem services concept. A questionnaire was conducted among 31 respondents of local community at Taiping Lake Garden, Perak. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) which involving multiple regression to capture the effects of attitude components on perceived benefits. The findings suggest that overall attitudes of respondents had an excellent level of perceived attitudes toward urban green-blue space. However, among three sub-construct of attitudes, only cognitive attitude was found to be the dominant variable compared to conative and affective attitude that predicts perceived cultural ecosystem benefits. This indicates that if the community could enhance their positive attitudes toward their urban green-blue space, they may perceive higher cultural ecosystem benefits. Future research should continue to explore ways of enhancing positive attitudes among urban community as attitude may guide them to enhance their engagement in urban green-blue spaces.

New Emphasis on Water Transparency as Socio-Ecological Indicator for Urban Water: Bridging Ecosystem Service Supply and Sustainable Ecosystem Health

The perspective on water transparency changed since the early days of limnology from being a physical parameter of optical water property to an ecological indicator tracking algal turbidity due to eutrophication or an overall success of sustained lake restoration in the late 60ies to 80ies. In modern cities, where ecosystems are commonly deteriorated by man-made modifications, water transparency offers a great opportunity to the public to raise socio-ecological consciousness concerning urban green-blue spaces. We thus re-emphasise water transparency as a key indicator of multi-functional value when assessing an oxbow lake of the riverine floodplain in Vienna, the Alte Donau. Our study covers the eutrophication from 1987-1994 due to the inclusion of the riverine landscape in the urban area, the following lake restoration with an ecosystem shift from a nutrient-rich, algal-turbid water body to a nutrient-poor, clear-water macrophyte controlled system and the impact of global warming in recent decades. We used light attenuation profiles to identify depth layers of specific ambient light requirements for photosynthetic domains (phytoplankton and submerged macrophytes), and to interpret Secchi measurements. Here we calculated the depth at 1% (minimum light requirements for phytoplankton growth as euphotic depth), 3% (minimum light requirements for macrophytes as maximum macrophyte colonization depth) and 12% (preferred light requirements for phytoplankton development) of surface ambient light. A Secchi disk water transparency of 1.5m (“lake bottom view”), judged as good water quality by human perception, refers to mesotrophic conditions with a maximum colonization depth for macrophytes exceeding the mean lake depth in Alte Donau. Water clarity required for sustained macrophyte growth, in particular for favouring bottom-dwelling Chara meadows instead of tall-growing Myriophyllum spicatum, is 3.5m Secchi depth and thus exceeds by far water clarity requested due to bathing aesthetics. Global warming, mirrored by an advanced warming in spring seems to favor significantly a higher yield of macrophytes mainly built up by Myriophyllum at the expense of the yield of algae. The prolongation of the summer period above 21°C, however, coincides with lowered Secchi transparency. Water visibility during the hot season thus seems to be slightly hampered against lake restoration efforts by global warming.

Synergistic cooling effects (SCEs) of urban green-blue spaces on local thermal environment: A case study in Chongqing, China

Both green and blue space are found to be effective for urban heat mitigation and air quality improvement. However, studies on the Synergistic Cooling Effects (SCEs) of green-blue spaces are limited. This paper aims to investigate the SCEs of green-blue spaces in Chongqing, a typical hot humid city in China, through the field measurement and numerical simulation. First, air temperature and relative humidity over different land-use sites (forest, lawn, and impervious pavement) were measured with and without water simultaneously, from July to August 2018. Experimental results revealed the SCEs of green-blue spaces were obvious in 7–12 m surrounding waterfront areas, where the mean air temperature reduction was 3.3 °C higher than the sums of cooling effect of standalone water and forest. Additionally, an ENVI-met model was validated against the measured data before conducting simulation for the study area in five scenarios, including one control group with no trees and four greening cases with different Leaf Area Index (LAI) values to investigate the importance of green infrastructure on the waterfront thermal environment. Simulation results showed that a decrease of 1.0 LAI can lead to a reduction of average air temperature by 0.19–0.31 °C, possibly owing to the enhanced ventilation flow.

Co-producing a typology for Green and Blue spaces for a longitudinal, national dataset of Green and Blue spaces

Background with rationaleSpending time in green-blue spaces (GBS) is beneficial for mental health and wellbeing. There are few longitudinal studies, and definitions of GBS differ within academic studies and between policy, practice and research.
 Main AimQuantify the impact of longitudinal exposure to GBS on wellbeing and common mental health disorders, for a national population (2008-2018) for use in a population-wide natural experiment.
 MethodsWe co-produced a GBS typology with planners and policy makers at a day-long workshop using validated public participation methods. Using this typology, we built a national, longitudinal GBS dataset created from local government audits and satellite data for 1.4 million homes in Wales, UK.
 Results produced a nested national typology to define GBS that built on previous academic literature and considered policy and local government planning priorities. The typology differentiated between inland and coastal GBS and facilities available at the GBS e.g. benches, public toilets etc. We created a national, longitudinal dataset of GBS and a cross-sectional dataset of household-level access to GBS for 2018. Access to GBS varied by socio-economic status, urban/rural classification and type of GBS.
 ConclusionWe worked with policy and planners to produce a typology that will enable us to translate our findings to be used in evidence based policy and planning. We will use the dataset to create quarterly household access to GBS for eleven years (2008-2018). We will link GBS access scores to individual level mental health for 1.7 million people with primary care data and survey data (n = ~12,000) on wellbeing. The results from the wider study will inform the planning and management of GBS in urban and rural environments and contribute to international work on impacts of the built environment on mental health and wellbeing.

Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualities Scale (PEAQS) – A self-report tool for the evaluation of green-blue spaces

Aesthetic qualities of urban green and blue spaces have received considerable attention in scientific literature but are operationalized in multiple ways and lack clear assessment and measurement techniques. To fill in this gap, we developed a Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualities Scale (PEAQS). Based on previous literature both in philosophy and empirical sciences we created a questionnaire with 36 statements and three open questions focusing on the perceived aesthetic qualities of environments. This questionnaire was used to sample 331 respondents in three sites different in their level of naturalness, human intervention and design: a natural-like but managed urban forest, a partly human-made and intensively managed bay-park and a completely human-made green roof. These sites were selected to represent a variety of urban green and blue infrastructure common in cities. The results suggest a scale that consists of 23 statements and five factors that reflect perceived aesthetic qualities of urban green spaces: Harmony, Mystery, Multisensority & Nature, Visual Spaciousness and Visual Diversity, and Sublimity. We give guidelines for further development and testing of the scale in order to prove its potential to develop the field of environmental aesthetics and to demonstrate its usefulness for adaptive, evidence-based urban planning and design.

Longitudinal access and exposure to green-blue spaces and individual-level mental health and well-being: protocol for a longitudinal, population-wide record-linked natural experiment

IntroductionStudies suggest that access and exposure to green-blue spaces (GBS) have beneficial impacts on mental health. However, the evidence base is limited with respect to longitudinal studies. The main aim...