Influence Of Urban Green Spaces Research Articles

Health impact of urban green spaces: a systematic review of heat-related morbidity and mortality

ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to scrutinise the impact of urban green spaces on heat-related morbidity and mortality.DesignThis systematic review was meticulously carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items...

Impact of urban greenspace on the urban thermal environment: A case study of Shenzhen, China

Rapid urban expansion has significantly altered the urban surface energy balance, consequently impacting the urban thermal environment. Urban greenspace (UG) plays a crucial role in regulating urban climate. This study utilizes a seamless land surface temperature (LST) dataset to elucidate the spatio-temporal patterns of LST and diurnal temperature range (DTR) in Shenzhen, a rapidly urbanizing city in China, and the influence of UG on urban thermal environment. The UG showed a notable decrease of 16.3 % from 2000 to 2020. Over the past 21 years, both daytime LST (LSTD) and nighttime LST (LSTN) exhibited an upward trend, while DTR showed a significant downward trend, especially in autumn. Significant spatial changes in LSTD, LSTN, and DTR were observed in winter across the entire city. Moreover, our results emphasize that the impact of UG on LSTD displays non-uniform cooling and varies significantly in terms of season, greenspace quality, and geographical location. Our assessment of changes in the urban thermal environment in Shenzhen and the role of UG on LST can offer theoretical support for policymakers in developing effective urban cooling measures and healthy urban development.

Urban Green Spaces’ Influence on Civilization Diseases—Meta-Analysis and Critical Review

This study investigates the influence of urban green spaces on the prevalence of overweight/obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. The search was run in the PUBMED database, using the search algorithm including combinations of keywords associated with the two concepts: civilization health problems and urban green spaces. A meta-analysis (for 48 studies) and critical review (for 26 studies) were performed. The meta-analysis results show that the presence, accessibility, and quality of green spaces are associated with the decreased prevalence of overweight/obesity (OR 0.86 (95% CI 0.77–0.95), p < 0.001, I2 99.7%), diabetes (OR 0.83 (95% CI 0.79–0.87), p < 0.001, I2 67.5%), and hypertension (OR 0.77 (95% CI 0.63–0.92), p < 0.001, I2 84.9%). In the children population, the influence of green spaces on overweight is unequivocal (OR 0.88 (95% CI 0.72–1.03), p < 0.001, I2 99.6%) and there is no influence on diabetes control. A green space’s direct influence on systolic or diastolic blood pressure is unequivocal. A green space is associated with a decreased prevalence of civilization diseases. Its positive influence, however, is not so strong in children. The short-term influence of green spaces on blood pressure (e.g., taken as a proxy for mental stress) is unequivocal.

Urban Green Space Research Progress and Hotspots Evolution Analysis: Visual Analysis based on WOS

Background and objective: Over the past few decades, urban green space research has emerged as a pivotal field within urban planning, ecology, and environmental science, achieving substantial advancements. This study endeavors to elucidate the trajectory of development and evolving hotspots in urban green space research through a visual analysis of the Web of Science (WOS) database.Methods: This study employs CiteSpace software to visualize the dataset, encompassing the analysis of keywords, abstracts, institutions, authors, references, and more, presenting the knowledge structure graphically. Additionally, it utilizes the LLR tag extraction algorithm to generate a keyword co-occurrence map and conduct clustering and grouping.Results: The findings reveal that the preeminent contributors in urban green space research include Haase, Dagmar, and Nizamani, Mir Muhammad. Furthermore, the collaborative network among researchers underscores the significance of interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation in advancing urban green space research. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies prevalent themes such as land surface temperature and health, highlighting the current focal points of urban green space research.Conclusion: This study discerns heightened attention to topics encompassing the thermal environment, ecosystem services, biodiversity, green space accessibility, and vegetation. These themes mirror societal concerns regarding the influence of urban green spaces on climate change and spatial planning, thereby delineating avenues for future research.

Travel preference: an indicator of the benefits of urban green space

ABSTRACT Urban Green Space (UGS) plays a crucial socio-cultural role in improving the quality of life. Assessment of quantity, quality, and accessibility determines whether the UGS are important social benefits. The travel preference of urban residents is a good indicator for the social relevance of UGS. This study integrates remote sensing and geographic big data to quantitatively analyze and evaluate the social benefits of urban green space. We propose a Green Social Benefit Index (GSBI) based on remote sensing retrieval and classification of urban green space. The GSBI is combined with the data on population mobility to investigate the influence of urban green space on residents’ behavior. The results show that urban residents prefer to move around in places with a higher quantity and quality of urban green space. The magnitude of the influence of urban green spatial features on population heat difference shows that accessibility > quantity > quality. The social benefits of urban green space are higher in middle centers compared to urban centers and city borders. The relationship between urban mobility and urban green space may suggest how to improve the distribution of green space in urban areas. This study could be a reference for the government planning department.

Effects of urban green space (UGS) quality on physical activity (PA) and health, controlling for environmental factors

Recently, there has been a burgeoning fascination with the influence of urban green spaces (UGS) on physical activity (PA) and health. This interest has been accompanied by a mounting body of evidence that establishes a connection between UGS and residents’ PA levels. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the significance of UGS and have generally agreed on their connection with health. However, there is still considerable variation in viewpoints regarding the intermediate factors contributing to this association. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the potential correlation between different qualitative factors of UGS and PA. The study involved the collection of data from four parks located in Edinburgh. Four trained observers utilised the Environmental Assessment of Public Recreational Spaces (EARPS Mini) tool to code various environmental characteristics. Additionally, the Method for Observing Physical Activity and Wellbeing (MOHAWk) observation tool was employed to code instances of on-site incivility and the characteristics and behaviours of residents engaging in UGS activities. The results of this study show that the facilities and environment, area and socioeconomic status (SES) of UGS positively affect the type of PA and the level of PA, as well as influence residents’ attentiveness to the environment and their interactions with each other. Demographics such as gender and age group are also significantly related to the level and type of PA. Significant differences in the level and type of PA, and race only differed significantly in the choice of activity type. These results suggest that the quality of the UGS environment affects the level, type, and status of PA among residents and that resident characteristics also have an impact. Future research suggests increasing data collection related to PA frequency and PA duration and considering longitudinal observations over time for refinement.

Biodiversity and quality of urban green landscape affect mental restorativeness of residents in Multan, Pakistan

IntroductionThe influence of urban green spaces on public health is receiving unprecedented attention. Managing urban greenspaces sustainably requires an understanding of the mechanisms behind the positive effects of urban biodiversity on the wellbeing of residents. Urban parks could improve mental restoration of park users. The restoration potential may be influenced by the biophysical characteristics of the park.MethodsThis study aimed to understand two aspects of urban parks in Multan, Pakistan: (a) How does the perception of biodiversity and the quality of urban parks relate to mental restorativeness of park visitors? (b) What are the determinants of respondents' willingness to pay for the conservation and management of park biodiversity and quality in urban parks? Data were collected from October 2021 to December 2021 through a cross-sectional survey in which 550 park visitors were interviewed from six randomly selected urban parks in Multan. Multiple linear regression analysis, a binary logistic model, and a chi-square test were applied to analyze the data.Results and discussionThe study empirically highlights the positive contribution of park visits to mental restorativeness. Biodiversity and quality were positively correlated with the mental restorativeness of park visitors. Sixty-two percent (62%) of the visitors were reluctant to pay, whereas 38% were ready to pay between Rs. 850/3.7$ and Rs. 1,700/7.4$ each year. Education, occupation, and monthly income significantly positively affected the respondent's WTP attitudes. The study highlights the importance of using urban parks as tools to promote mental restorativeness, combat social stress, and increase urban vegetation cover.

Relationship between urban green space and mental health in older adults: mediating role of relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust.

The importance of improving older adults' mental health is increasing worldwide with the rapid development of the aging process. Green space is an important part of the urban built environment, demonstrates a deep connection with the mental health of older adults, and its internal mechanisms have been widely studied. This study analyzed the influence of urban green spaces on the mental health of older adults via three factors: relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust. Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, a multi-level structural equation model was used to explore the mediating roles of relative deprivation, physical activity, social trust in urban green spaces, and the mental health of older adults. Urban green space was positively correlated with the mental health of older adults. Relative deprivation and physical activities played a mediating role between urban green space and the mental health of older adults. An increase in urban green spaces can help increase the number of older adults obtaining green space resources, and help them maintain good mental health. Secondly, older adults with a relatively homogeneous environment have more equal opportunities to obtain urban green space resources, which helps to reduce the comparison of older adults in access to green space resources and reduce the adverse impact of relative deprivation on their mental health. Additionally, increasing urban green spaces can encourage older adults to engage in physical activities and improve their mental health. Finally, we suggest improving the accessibility, fairness, and quality of green spaces, paying attention to the psychological needs of older adults, encouraging older adults to engage in physical activities in green spaces, and taking various measures to enhance the positive role of green space on the mental health of older adults.

Prediction of Daily Ambient Temperature and Its Hourly Estimation Using Artificial Neural Networks in Urban Allotment Gardens and an Urban Park in Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain

Urban green spaces improve quality of life by mitigating urban temperatures. However, there are challenges in obtaining urban data to analyze and understand their influence. With the aim of developing innovative methodologies for this type of research, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were developed to predict daily and hourly temperatures in urban green spaces from sensors placed in situ for 41 days. The study areas were four urban allotment gardens (with dynamic and productive vegetation) and a forested urban park in the city of Valladolid, Spain. ANNs were built and evaluated from various combinations of inputs (X), hidden neurons (Y), and outputs (Z) under the practical rule of “making networks simple, to obtain better results”. Seven ANNs architectures were tested: 7-Y-5 (Y = 6, 7, …, 14), 6-Y-5 (Y = 6, 7, …, 14), 7-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8), 6-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8), 4-Y-1 (Y = 1, 2, …, 7), 3-Y-1 (Y = 1, 2, …, 7), and 2-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8). The best-performing model was the 6-Y-1 ANN architecture with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.42 °C for the urban garden called Valle de Arán. The results demonstrated that from shorter data points obtained in situ, ANNs predictions achieve acceptable results and reflect the usefulness of the methodology. These predictions were more accurate in urban gardens than in urban parks, where the type of existing vegetation can be a decisive factor. This study can contribute to the development of a sustainable and smart city, and has the potential to be replicated in cities where the influence of urban green spaces on urban temperatures is studied with traditional methodologies.

Urban greenspaces and child blood pressure in China: Evidence from a large population-based cohort study

BackgroundWith the world's population steadily shifting toward urban living, children's engagement with the natural environment seems to be diminishing. This raises significant concerns about the influence of urban greenspaces on the cardiovascular health of children. ObjectiveTo assess the association between urban greenspaces exposure and blood pressure (BP) in Chinese primary schoolchildren. MethodsThis prospective cohort study used data from the Children's growth environment, lifestyle, physical, and mental health development (COHERENCE) project in Guangzhou, China. Participants included 164,853 primary schoolchildren starting from 2016/17 to 2019/20 academic year. We assessed the surrounding greenspaces at home and school by using Sentinel-2 satellite data on the normalized difference vegetation index. Prehypertension and hypertension status were defined with BP above 90th to less than the 95th percentile, at or above the 95th percentile, respectively. The association of surrounding greenness with children's BP levels and risk of prehypertension/hypertension were examined using linear mixed-effects models and Cox proportional hazards model. ResultsAmong 164,853 eligible children aged 7.21 (0.74) years, 89,190 (54.1%) were boys. Our results showed that average systolic and diastolic BP increased by 0.48 and 0.42 standard deviations, respectively, over the 3-year follow-up. We identified 23,225 new cases of prehypertension and 35,067 of hypertension status. An interquartile range increase both in home-, school- and home-school NDVI100m was significantly associated with a reduction of 0.018–0.037 in BP z-scores and a 2.7%–7.6% lower risk of hypertension. Additionally, family socioeconomic status modified the impact of home-school greenness on BP levels. Air pollution exhibited mediating effects solely in school-greenness-BP associations, while physical activity and children's BMI mainly mediated the relationships between home-greenness and BP. ConclusionThe findings of this large cohort study suggest that surrounding greenspaces are associated with lower BP levels and a decreased risk of prehypertension and hypertension in Chinese schoolchildren.

Urban green spaces and their relationship with groundwater quality: the case of a shallow aquifer in the south of Mexico City

Water supply security is a top priority for decision-makers in cities. Urban population growth increases water demand from aquifers, while urban expansion reduces water infiltration and boosts water pollution sources. Urban green spaces are a few of the remaining infiltration areas. Therefore, they are essential for water supply and urban hydric resilience. The urban dynamic directly influences shallow aquifers, but they usually are unappreciated. This work illustrates the relationship between urban green spaces and city water quality by evaluating the influence of urban green space, Reserva Ecológica del Pedregal de San Angel (REPSA), on a shallow aquifer in Mexico City. Five springs were sampled: two upstream of REPSA, a spring within REPSA, and two downstream. Because the study area is mainly residential but with an industrial history, water quality was tested based on microbiological pathogens, nutrients, pharmaceutical drugs, and heavy metals. Results showed an enhancement of water quality of the shallow aquifer in the sampling points downstream of REPSA for some of the pollutants. These results illustrate how urban green spaces can help to dilute pollutants present in the water of shallow aquifers, increasing water quality in cities.

Influence of Urban Green Spaces on Quality of Life and Health with Smart City Design

Publicly available green spaces are great places for people to relax. Currently, the deficiency of such spaces is decreasing daily, especially in urban regions. Urban green spaces (UGSs) have become a topic of great importance in enhancing life expectancy and health. To overcome these issues, the current research highlights the importance of UGSs for the residents’ living quality and urban health. UGSs are relevant for analyzing and investigating better urban lifestyles and development. To perform the experimental work, a green laboratory (GL) in a smart city (SC) area was involved in the investigation. The GL was made of wood, and different types of green infrastructure were analyzed. The research investigation resulted in upgrading the locality. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to enhance the quality of the research. Interviews with residents, occupants of offices, and government experts were conducted. Special survey questions, i.e., quantitative and qualitative, were developed while considering the current demands of the residents. A total of 500 responses were recorded, and by using the MAXQDA software, an analysis was carried out. The results showed that there was a dire requirement for UGSs in terms of size and quantity because of security and opportunities. The proposed research results will provide an opportunity for open spaces to be created in this local district. To fully improve residents’ living style and health, the necessity of deploying UGSs became more apparent. Finally, it became clear that green spaces are necessary to improve the country’s economy.

Influence of the Urban Green Spaces of Seville (Spain) on Housing Prices through the Hedonic Assessment Methodology and Geospatial Analysis

The city of Seville (Spain) is made up of a historical network of pre-existing city overlaps, which increase the economic and heritage value of certain urban areas. To date, green spaces are one of the most important variables in determining the economic value of housing. Thus, this paper uses the hedonic technique and geostatistical analysis with GIS as a methodological approach to infer the economic influence of urban green spaces on housing prices. Along with the traditional variables used to explain dwelling prices, the size of the green space has also been taken into account as an environmental variable affecting prices. The sample consists of 1000 observations collected from Seville. According to the findings, the most relevant variables depend on the hedonic model. Still, in general terms, a dwelling’s selling price is related to basic explanatory variables such as living area, number of rooms, age, and number of baths. The green area per inhabitant present in a dwelling’s district is also included as part of these basic explanatory variables. In conclusion, the hedonic linear model is the model that best fits housing prices where the values are similar to those obtained by kriging regardless of the district. Based on this research, each square meter of green space per inhabitant in a district raises the housing value by 120.19 €/m2.

Can urban green space cure homesickness? Case study on China poverty alleviation migrants in Anshun, Guizhou

With the implement of China's ex-situ poverty alleviation resettlement (ESPAR) policy, nearly 10 million rural population have relocated with a better living condition in a short period of time, most of which have migrated to urban areas. The living environment and lifestyle of the poverty alleviation migrants (PAMs) have undergone dramatic changes, the resulting mental health problems may seriously affect their social integration and well-being. In particular, homesickness is a prevalent mental problem among the PAMs that demand prompt attention. Research indicates that longing for natural environment is one of the major causes of homesickness among rural out-migrants. As the main natural environment in cities, urban green space has been proven by numerous studies to have a positive effect on residents' mental health in various aspects, including reducing anxiety, relieving fatigue, and fostering perseverance. However, few studies have focused on the influence of urban green space on the mental health of the PAMs, especially on alleviating their homesickness syndrome. Using the data collected from interviews and questionnaire survey in the PAMs’ resettlement sites in Anshun, Guizhou, which has undertaken a heavy poverty alleviation task, this study examined the relationship between the physical activity, environment, function of urban green space, and the severity of PAMs’ homesickness, meanwhile paying attention to the impacts caused by different socio-demographic characteristics. The results show that urban green space is strongly associated with alleviating PAMs’ homesickness, and that all three factors play a positive role. Neighborhood green space is used the most, but suburban green space seems to provide better alleviation of homesickness. This study sheds lights on the critical role of urban green space for promoting PAMs' mental health, and aims to provide scientific reference to the planning and improvement for future migrant resettlements and urban green space.

Urban green space soundscapes and their perceived restorativeness

Abstract The positive influence of urban green spaces on human health and well‐being is well known while the pathways are little understood. Past research has largely focused on visual stimuli, yet the auditory pathway is also an important means for contact with nature. The sonic environments of urban green spaces, however, are rarely entirely natural and many differ in their composition of natural sounds and anthropogenic noise. Few studies have investigated how these differences may impact the restorative potential of these soundscapes and, in particular, how the presence of traffic noise may constrain the benefits of natural sounds. To address this gap, we examined differences in the perceived restorativeness and perceived restorative outcomes across a gradient of eight park soundscapes that differed in bird and traffic sounds. In a laboratory setting, 162 participants listened to sound samples and reported on perceptions of the soundscapes and restorative potential and outcomes. The results strongly indicate that park soundscapes with a rich array of perceived bird sounds and minimal perceived traffic noise offer the greatest perceived restoration. Traffic noise was found to moderate the positive effect of bird sounds. The duration of time lived in the city and noise sensitivity were also positively associated with greater perceived restorative benefits while noise‐sensitive people were also more negatively affected by traffic noise. The promotion of highly natural soundscapes in urban green spaces and the reduction of traffic noise can provide nature‐based solutions to human health and well‐being in urban areas. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

城市绿地对居民身心福祉的影响

城市绿地对居民身心福祉的影响

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENT: THE INFLUENCE OF URBAN GREEN SPACES ON HEALTH

ABSTRACT Introduction: Urban green spaces can offer opportunities for regular physical activity, providing benefits in the lives of members of the population, such as physical, social and affective health. The aim of this article consists of analyzing the influence of urban green spaces on physical activity, focusing on urban environmental quality and the health of those who engage in physical activities in open areas. The study has a multidisciplinary approach from the perspective of environmental health. Method: The study design was based on qualitative research, using a bibliographic and document search as well as field surveys, whose technique involved direct observation (DO). The sample selection was based on Miot (2011), consisting of a total of 36 individuals aged between 18 and 40 years, who perform physical activities regularly, at least three times a week, for at least 50 minutes. Questionnaires were also applied using the IPAQ (assessment of physical activity) and Borg Scale parameters. Results: The study showed that the research participants became more active, possibly being stimulated and motivated by their surroundings with widespread vegetation cover, the good infrastructure of the venue and the guidance provided during the research. Conclusion: The research project showed that the greater the frequency and intensity of physical activity in open areas, the better the body's physiological adaptability. Level of Evidence II; Prognostic study.

Influence of Urban Green Space and Facility Accessibility on Exercise and Healthy Diet in Hong Kong.

Background A cross-sectional study using a convenience sampling method was conducted to understand how green space and accessibility of common public open spaces in compact urban areas affect physical activity and healthy diets of residents. Methods A total of 554 residents completed a structured questionnaire on quality of life, physical activity level and healthy eating practice. Particularly, categories of physical activity and durations were obtained by using the short form Chinese International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-C), then the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)-minutes/week was calculated using the formulae (walking minutes × walking days × 3.3) + (moderate-intensity activity minutes × moderate days × 4.0) + (vigorous-intensity activity minutes × vigorous-intensity days × 8.0). The percentage of green space was calculated based on a spatial buffer with a 500 m radius from participants’ geocoded addresses using a SPOT (‘Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre’ in French) satellite image-derived vegetation dataset. Parks, promenade and sports facilities were examples of open spaces. Results The sampled population who lived with green space averaged 10.11% ± 7.95% (ranged 1.56–32.90%), with the majority (90%) performing physical activities at medium and high levels. MET-minutes/week was significantly associated (Pearson r = 0.092; p < 0.05) with the green space percentage. Relatively active residents commonly used open spaces within the district for performing exercise, in particular, parks and promenades were mostly used by older residents, while sports facilities by the younger groups at age 25–44 and <25 years. Conclusions Current findings suggested promotion of exercise could be achieved by the design or redesign of built environment to include more parks accessible to the residents with the increase of vegetation.

Spatiotemporal evolution of urban green space and its impact on the urban thermal environment based on remote sensing data: A case study of Fuzhou City, China

Taking the main city of Fuzhou as the study area, the relationship between the spatiotemporal evolution of urban green space (UGS) and the urban thermal environment from 1993 to 2013 was investigated using a set of remote sensing images. The evolution of UGS is obvious in the study area, where UGS loss (42.83 km2) > UGS extension (4.99 km2) > UGS exchange (2.61 km2). UGS loss affects forest/grass > water > wetland. Furthermore, the area defined as high temperature zones increased by 23.11 km2 in 2013, twice as much as that in 1993. However, the influence of UGS on the urban thermal environment differs by type and evolution: water has the greatest cooling effect, followed by wetland and forest/grass, and UGS loss (8.67 ℃) > UGS exchange (4.00 ℃) > UGS extension (2.90 ℃) > UGS unchanged (2.45 ℃). Finally, the vegetation and cooling index classified the mechanism of temperature response induced by different types of UGS evolution. The evolution of UGS loss usually simulated the movement of the corresponding pixel from the low land surface temperature and high vegetation coverage to the opposite situation. Regression analyses demonstrated that the effect of elevated land surface temperature generated from the reduction of water and forest/grass reached 0.81 ℃ and 0.72 ℃, respectively, in 20 years, indicating that the loss of a significant amount of UGS during urbanization was the primary influence on the urban thermal environment. This study may provide more useful information for researchers and decision-makers engaged in urban planning, urban regeneration, and sustainable land development, especially focusing on the issues of climate adaption and the urban heat island (UHI) effect mitigation.

Hedonic pricing analysis of the influence of urban green spaces onto residential prices: the case of Leipzig, Germany

ABSTRACTIn the light of global urbanization and biodiversity loss, ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces (UGS) are becoming increasingly important, not least as a recovery and recreation opportunity for citizens. The valuation of UGS is significant for urban planners, who make decisions on the creation or removal of UGS. We analysed the influence of UGS on residential property prices in Leipzig, Germany, by applying a hedonic pricing analysis. This analysis complements the existing literature by considering both sale and rental prices for flats and houses; moreover, the shape of UGS is taken into account explicitly; finally, it is the first study in Germany to analyse UGS in hedonic studies to such an extent. The results demonstrate that the size of the nearest UGS has a stronger impact on prices compared to the distance from it. With respect to shape, we found that the simpler the UGS shape, the higher the prices. Although we find an impact of UGS on prices, the impact is smaller than that of other characteristics. The proposed valuation approach and obtained results inform urban planners regarding the design of new UGS and raise awareness about potential intended and unintended economic and social effects.