Percentage Of Green Space Research Articles

Neighbourhood greenspace and physical activity and sedentary behaviour among older adults with a recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: a prospective analysis

ObjectivesGreenspace is one of the important factors that can promote an active lifestyle. Thus, greener surroundings may be a motivating factor for people with newly diagnosed diabetes to engage in...

Effects of greenspace morphology on mortality at the neighbourhood level: a cross-sectional ecological study

The association between urban greenspace and mortality risk is well known, but less is known about how the spatial arrangement of greenspace affects population health. We aimed to investigate the relation between urban greenspace distribution and mortality risk. We did a cross-sectional study in Philadelphia, PA, USA, using high-resolution landcover data for 2008 from the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access database. We calculated landscape metrics to measure the greenness, fragmentation, connectedness, aggregation, and shape of greenspace, including and omitting green areas 83·6 m2 or smaller, using Geographical Information System and spatial pattern analysis programs. We analysed all-cause and cause-specific mortality (related to heart disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and neoplasms) recorded in 2006 for 369 census tracts (small geographical areas with a population of 2500-8000 people). We did negative binomial regression and principal component analyses to assess associations between landscape spatial metrics and mortality, controlling for geographical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. A 1% increase in the percentage of greenspace was predicted to reduce all-cause mortality by 0·419% (95% CI 0·050-0·777), with no effect on cause-specific mortality. All-cause mortality was negatively associated with the area of greenspace. A 1 m2 increase in the mean area of greenspace led to a 0·011% (95% CI 0·004-0·018) fall in all-cause mortality and a 0·019% (0·007-0·032) decrease in cardiac mortality; considering only green areas larger than 83·6 m2 would contribute to a 0·002% (95% CI 0·001-0·003) decrease in all-cause mortality and a 0·003% (0·001-0·006) reduction in cardiac deaths. Census tracts with more connected, aggregated, coherent, and complex shape greenspaces had a lower risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The negative association between articulated landscape parcels and all-cause mortality varied with age and education, such that the relation was stronger for census tracts with a higher percentage of older and less well-educated adults. A significant modest association exists between the spatial distribution of greenspace in cities and mortality risk. The overall amount of greenspace alone is probably failing to capture significant variance in local health outcomes and, thus, environment-based health planning should consider the shape, form, and function of greenspace. None.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the associations between green spaces and self-perceived health in the Brussels Capital Region

OPS 30: Green space and morbidity, Room 110, Floor 1, August 27, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background/Aim: The evidence of a relationship between green spaces and self-perceived health is moderate and the socioeconomic inequalities underlying this relationship remain unclear. We assessed the relationship between green spaces and self-perceived health in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) in Belgium, examining whether patterns of association differ according to the intersection between age, gender, socioeconomic status and migrant background. Methods: Information on socioeconomic indicators, perceived green quality and self-perceived health of all registered population in Belgium is available at the individual level from the 2001 Belgian Census. We included 496,450 individuals older than 15 and living in BCR in 2001. Quantity of green (percentage of green spaces within a 600m buffer), obtained from the 2006 CORINE Landcover dataset, and 2015 mean annual concentrations of PM10 were available at the statistical ward level. Multilevel logistic regression models were conducted to obtain adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their confidence intervals (95%CI) of the association between the quantity and quality of green spaces and poor self-perceived health. Models were adjusted by age, PM10, gender, socioeconomic status, migrant background, neighbourhood socioeconomic indicators and area of the statistical ward. Interaction and stratification analyses were then performed by age, gender, educational level and migrant background. Results: We found an inverse association between good perceived green quality and poor self-perceived health (aOR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.76–0.79) consistent across different population groups. Quantity of green spaces was not related to poor self-perceived health after adjusting by neighbourhood socioeconomic indicators. Greater odds of reporting poor self-perceived health when living in greener areas was found among women (aOR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00–1.04), the lower educated and the Turkish (aOR: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.04–1.29). Conclusions: The unexpected results might be related to specific spatial distribution of socioeconomic inequalities within the BCR. Further analyses including other urban agglomerations in Belgium may help understand our results.

Green space, air pollution, traffic noise and cardiometabolic health in adolescents: The PIAMA birth cohort

BackgroundGreen space has been hypothesized to improve cardiometabolic health of adolescents, whereas air pollution and traffic noise may negatively impact cardiometabolic health. ObjectivesTo examine the associations of green space, air pollution and traffic noise with cardiometabolic health in adolescents aged 12 and 16 years. MethodsWaist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured in subsets of participants of the Dutch PIAMA birth cohort, who participated in medical examinations at ages 12 (n = 1505) and/or 16 years (n = 797). We calculated a combined cardiometabolic risk score for each participant, with a higher score indicating a higher cardiometabolic risk. We estimated exposure to green space (i.e. the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and percentages of green space in circular buffers of 300 m and 3000 m), air pollution (by land-use regression models) and traffic noise (using the Standard Model Instrumentation for Noise Assessments (STAMINA) model) at the adolescents' home addresses at the time of the medical examinations. We assessed associations of these exposures with cardiometabolic health outcomes at ages 12 and 16 by multiple linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders. ResultsWe did not observe consistent patterns of associations of green space, air pollution and traffic noise with the cardiometabolic risk score, blood pressure, total cholesterol levels, the total/HDL cholesterol ratio and HbA1c. We found inverse associations of air pollution with waist circumference at both age 12 and 16. These associations weakened after adjustment for region, except for particulate matter with a diameter of <2.5 μm (PM2.5) at age 12. The association of PM2.5 with waist circumference at age 12 remained after adjustment for green space and road traffic noise (adjusted difference − 1.42 cm [95% CI −2.50, −0.35 cm] per 1.16 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5). ConclusionThis study does not provide evidence for beneficial effects of green space or adverse effects of air pollution and traffic noise on cardiometabolic health in adolescents.

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.

Objectively Measured Environmental Correlates of Toddlers' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior.

Examine objectively measured environmental correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in toddlers (12-35 mo). Participants were recruited at immunization appointments in Edmonton, Canada. Physical activity and sedentary time were objectively measured via accelerometers (n = 149). The parents reported screen time and demographic characteristics via a questionnaire (n = 249). Postal codes were used to link neighborhood data via geographic information systems. Neighborhood data included 4 environmental domains: functional (ie,walkability), safety (ie,crime), esthetic (ie,tree density), and destination (ie,cul-de-sac density, wooded area percentage, green space percentage, recreation density, park density). Weather data (temperature and precipitation) were obtained via historical weather records. Multilevel multiple linear regression models were used to account for clustering of participants within neighborhoods and adjustment of demographic variables. Each additional 10°C of mean temperature was significantly associated with 5.74 (95% confidence interval, 0.96-10.50) minutes per day of higher light-intensity physical activity, though the effect size was small (f2 = 0.08). No other significant associations were observed. The lack of significant findings for neighborhood environment factors suggests proximal factors (eg,features of the home environment) may be more important in predicting toddlers' physical activity and sedentary behavior. More indoor physical activity opportunities may be needed on colder days for toddlers.

Revealing patterns of greenspace in urban areas resulting from three urban growth types

Many studies have revealed the processes of urban expansion in numerous cities around the world based on three urban growth types: outlying, edge-expansion, and infilling. However, few studies have explored the landscape patterns inside newly developed urban areas that are defined based on the three growth types. In this paper, we used Landsat images to investigate the urban growth of Shenzhen from 1979 to 2017. In addition, we used high-resolution images to compare the pattern of greenspace in areas that developed from outlying, edge expansion, and infilling. Our results showed that Shenzhen experienced two expansion phases, which is in accordance with the diffusion-coalescence hypothesis. In addition, we found that the greenspace patterns in edge expansion and outlying patches were similar, but were different from those of infilling. In the infilling patches, the greenspace percentage, edge density (ED) and largest patch index (LPI) were significantly larger than those in the patches of the other two expansion types. This study linked landscape patterns and urban growth types that enhanced our understanding of the process of urban expansion and may provide valuable information for local policy making and urban planning.

Decoupling forest characteristics and background conditions to explain urban-rural variations of multiple microclimate regulation from urban trees.

BackgroundRapid urbanization in semi-arid regions necessitates greater cooling, humidifying, and shading services from urban trees, but maximizing these services requires an exact understanding of their association with forest characteristics and background street and weather conditions.MethodsHere, horizontal and vertical air cooling, soil cooling, shading, and humidifying effects were measured for 605 trees from 152 plots in Changchun. Additionally, weather conditions (Tair, relative humidity, and light intensity), forest characteristics (tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), under-branch height, canopy size, tree density, and taxonomic family of trees) and background conditions (percentage of building, road, green space, water, and building height, building distance to measured trees) were determined for three urban-rural gradients for ring road development, urban settlement history, and forest types. Multiple analysis of variance and regression analysis were used to find the urban-rural changes, while redundancy ordination and variation partitioning were used for decoupling the complex associations among microclimate regulations, forest characteristics, background street and weather conditions.ResultsOur results show that horizontal cooling and humidifying differences between canopy shade and full sunshine were <4.5 °C and <9.4%, respectively; while vertical canopy cooling was 1.4 °C, and soil cooling was observed in most cases (peak at 1.4 °C). Pooled urban-rural data analysis showed non-monological changes in all microclimate-regulating parameters, except for a linear increase in light interception by the canopy (r2 = 0.45) from urban center to rural regions. Together with the microclimate regulating trends, linear increases were observed in tree density, Salicaceae percentage, Tair, light intensity outside forests, tree distance to surrounding buildings, and greenspace percentage. Redundancy ordination demonstrated that weather differences were mainly responsible for the microclimate regulation variation we observed (unique explanatory power, 65.4%), as well as background conditions (12.1%), and forest characteristics (7.7%).DiscussionIn general, horizontal cooling, shading, and humidifying effects were stronger in dry, hot, and sunny weather. The effects were stronger in areas with more buildings of relatively lower height, a higher abundance of Ulmaceae, and a lower percentage of Leguminosae and Betulaceae. Larger trees were usually associated with a larger cooling area (a smaller difference per one unit distance from the measured tree). Given uncontrollable weather conditions, our findings highlighted street canyon and forest characteristics that are important in urban microclimate regulation. This paper provides a management strategy for maximizing microclimate regulation using trees, and methodologically supports the uncoupling of the complex association of microclimate regulations in fast urbanization regions.

Lower Noise Annoyance Associated with GIS-Derived Greenspace: Pathways through Perceived Greenspace and Residential Noise.

Growing amounts of evidence support an association between self-reported greenspace near the home and lower noise annoyance; however, objectively defined greenspace has rarely been considered. In the present study, we tested the association between objective measures of greenspace and noise annoyance, with a focus on underpinning pathways through noise level and perceived greenspace. We sampled 720 students aged 18 to 35 years from the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Objective greenspace was defined by several Geographic Information System (GIS)-derived metrics: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), tree cover density, percentage of green space in circular buffers of 100, 300 and 500 m, and the Euclidean distance to the nearest structured green space. Perceived greenspace was defined by the mean of responses to five items asking about its quantity, accessibility, visibility, usage, and quality. We assessed noise annoyance due to transportation and other neighborhood noise sources and daytime noise level (Lday) at the residence. Tests of the parallel mediation models showed that higher NDVI and percentage of green space in all buffers were associated with lower noise annoyance, whereas for higher tree cover this association was observed only in the 100 m buffer zone. In addition, the effects of NDVI and percentage of green space were mediated by higher perceived greenspace and lower Lday. In the case of tree cover, only perceived greenspace was a mediator. Our findings suggest that the potential for greenspace to reduce noise annoyance extends beyond noise abatement. Applying a combination of GIS-derived and perceptual measures should enable researchers to better tap individuals’ experience of residential greenspace and noise.

Effects of Urban Greenspace Patterns on Particulate Matter Pollution in Metropolitan Zhengzhou in Henan, China

This case study was conducted to quantify the effects of urban greenspace patterns on particle matter (PM) concentration in Zhengzhou, China by using redundancy and variation partitioning analysis. Nine air-quality monitoring stations (AQMS) were selected as the central points. Six distances of 1 km, 2 km, 3 km, 4 km, 5 km, and 6 km were selected as the side lengths of the squares with each AQMS serving as the central point, respectively. We found: (1) the fine size of PM (PM2.5) and coarse size of PM (PM10) among four seasons showed significant differences; during winter, the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 were both highest, and PM2.5 and PM10 concentration in summer were lowest. (2) To effectively reduce the PM2.5 pollution, the percentage of greenspace, the differences in areas among greenspace patches, and the edge complexity of greenspace patches should be increased at distances of 2 km and 3 km. To effectively reduce PM10, the percentage of greenspace at a distance of 4 km, the edge density at distances of 2 km and 4 km, and the average area of greenspace patches at a distance of 1 km should be increased. (3) Greenspace pattern significantly affected PM2.5 at a distance of 3 km, and PM10 at a distance of 4 km. From shorter distance to longer distance, the proportion of variance explained by greenspace showed a decline–increase–decline–increase trend for PM2.5, and a decline–increase–decline trend for PM10. At shorter distances, the composition of greenspace was more effective in reducing the PM pollution, and the configuration of greenspace played a more important role at longer distances. The results should lead to specific guidelines for more cost-effective and environmentally sound greenspace planning.

Lebanon Cities’ Public Spaces

In Lebanon, the social connections are undeniable and crucial. However, meeting places remain private such as houses, restaurants, malls, and beach resorts. This is mainly due to the shortage of public spaces in Lebanon resulting from lack of planning, regulations and awareness around the right to the city and the importance of public spaces. In main cities where land prices are so expensive, common practice has prioritized the use of land in real estate development, thus trumping other uses such as public and communal spaces.In the late 1990s, Lebanon saw the emergence of malls, which have arguably acted as alternatives to public spaces. Malls, with their wealth of food courts, restaurants, cinemas, and play areas, have become the new downtown for a portion of the Lebanese population. They are also considered safe, which is another important factor.In 2015, the percentage of green spaces in Lebanon has decreased to less than 13%. While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 9m2 of green space per capita (UN-HABITAT, 2016), Beirut has only 0.8m2.

Lessons from Eco Cities Can Be Applied in Developing Countries

The main objective of the research is to reveal different methods of sustainable development that can be implemented in the cities of the developing countries with the help of sustainable tools that can fulfill the world environmental goals. The research will examine two cities from different countries, the first is Stockholm which was the first European green capital 2010, it will be discussed as it is one of the most ideal eco cities in the world. The second is Curitiba a special Brazilian city which has changed to an eco city using limited budget but with brilliant ideas to change and solve many huge urban problems by simple and easy solutions, since the urban problems that Curitiba faced before being an eco city resemble some of the Egyptian urban problems. Discussion will be taken through specific environmental indicators including air quality, solid waste recycled, percentage of green spaces in the city and per capita, consumption of water and electric energy, percentage of commuters using public transportation, private cars, walking or using bicycles in their daily trips. In order to achieve the main objective of the research by comparing case studies to show progress and learn lessons. The research will discuss the increasing global urban growth and new approaches of eco cities, different indicators and challenges facing developing countries to apply eco approaches, followed by an analytical approach of the two cities through the previously mentioned indicators, and finally lessons learned of what is suitable in both examples which will help developing countries to take the right decisions towards sustainable and ecological approaches in their cities.

From socioeconomic disparity to environmental injustice: the relationship between housing unit density and community green space in a medium city in Pakistan

ABSTRACTRapid urbanisation, lack of proactive planning and improper allocation of resources may result in socio-economic disparity among and within cities, causing social unrest and environmental injustice in the neighbourhoods. This study aims to examine whether the planning standards for housing schemes in Pakistan are able to maintain equitable access to green spaces within the cities. Ten residential sites in Sheikhupura city with different housing unit sizes and densities were selected for the study. The supply of urban green infrastructure in housing scheme has been assessed: (i) by comparing the percentage of green spaces, including community parks and open spaces and street landscape; and (ii) by calculating per dwelling unit and per capita share of green spaces. These indicators have been studied against the housing density and population density of the schemes by applying correlation and linear regression models. The results show that all the housing schemes plans provide for similar amounts of green space as a percentage of total area. The per capita share of green spaces is very low in high-density areas, but interestingly, the street landscape has a higher potential to contribute to the overall landscape in high-density neighbourhoods, compensating for low per capita green space. Housing unit density and population density must be incorporated in planning standards so planners can effectively devise a mix of community parks, street landscape and private green spaces to help maintain per capita green spaces, and hence environmental resource equality in different parts of the city.

Assessment and optimization of green space for urban transformation in resources-based city – A case study of Lengshuijiang city, China

Urbanization in China has changed gradually from production-oriented to consumption-oriented in recent years. Comfort and accessibility of green infrastructures effect the rate of urbanization and transformation. A well designed urban green space system is an essential part of the urbanization process. In this paper, the urban green space of Lengshuijiang city was assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively using data of field survey and high resolution remote sensing. In the study area, green space coverage was 37.14%, green space percentage was 33.45% and per capita park green space was 16.25 m2. The high green space coverage suggested that there were ample potentials for further urban transformation. Within a 30 min service radius of existing green space, total service area was 204.49 ha, which accounted for 16.26% of the study area. A high proportion of the green space was made up of urban parks which were unevenly distributed across the study area. A green space optimization strategy, aimed at improving green space quality and accessibility, was proposed. After optimization, total service areas within the 30 min service radius will increase to 492 ha (39.12%), an increase of 22.86%. Our study demonstrated that combining qualitative and quantitative methods is an effective and reliable way for green space assessment and reliable and can be used for urban green space planning and management for small resource-based cities like Lengshuijiang in its process of urban transformation.

ASSESSING THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN TYPES OF GREEN SPACE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND HEALTH INDICATORS USING GIS AND PARTICIPATORY SURVEY

Abstract. This study explores whether specific types of green spaces (i.e. urban green spaces, forests, agricultural lands, rangelands, and wetlands) are associated with physical activity, quality of life, and cardiovascular disease prevalence. A sample of 8,976 respondents from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, conducted in 2006 in Washington State across 291 zip-codes, was analyzed. Measures included physical activity status, quality of life, and cardiovascular disease prevalence (i.e. heart attack, angina, and stroke). Percentage of green spaces was derived from the National Land Cover Dataset and measured with Geographical Information System. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data while controlling for age, sex, race, weight, marital status, occupation, income, education level, and zip-code population and socio-economic situation. Regression results reveal that no green space types were associated with physical activity, quality of life, and cardiovascular disease prevalence. On the other hand, the analysis shows that physical activity was associated with general health, quality of life, and cardiovascular disease prevalence. The findings suggest that other factors such as size, structure and distribution (sprawled or concentrated, large or small), quality, and characteristics of green space might be important in general health, quality of life, and cardiovascular disease prevalence rather than green space types. Therefore, further investigations are needed.

Relationship between neighbourhood socioeconomic position and neighbourhood public green space availability: An environmental inequality analysis in a large German city applying generalized linear models.

The environmental justice framework states that besides environmental burdens also resources may be social unequally distributed both on the individual and on the neighbourhood level. This ecological study investigated whether neighbourhood socioeconomic position (SEP) was associated with neighbourhood public green space availability in a large German city with more than 1 million inhabitants. Two different measures were defined for green space availability. Firstly, percentage of green space within neighbourhoods was calculated with the additional consideration of various buffers around the boundaries. Secondly, percentage of green space was calculated based on various radii around the neighbourhood centroid. An index of neighbourhood SEP was calculated with principal component analysis. Log-gamma regression from the group of generalized linear models was applied in order to consider the non-normal distribution of the response variable. All models were adjusted for population density. Low neighbourhood SEP was associated with decreasing neighbourhood green space availability including 200m up to 1000m buffers around the neighbourhood boundaries. Low neighbourhood SEP was also associated with decreasing green space availability based on catchment areas measured from neighbourhood centroids with different radii (1000m up to 3000 m). With an increasing radius the strength of the associations decreased. Social unequally distributed green space may amplify environmental health inequalities in an urban context. Thus, the identification of vulnerable neighbourhoods and population groups plays an important role for epidemiological research and healthy city planning. As a methodical aspect, log-gamma regression offers an adequate parametric modelling strategy for positively distributed environmental variables.

Does green space matter? Exploring relationships between green space type and health indicators

This study explores whether general specification or specific types of green spaces are associated with mental and general health. A sample of 5,148 respondents from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, conducted in 2006 in Washington State across 98 zip-codes, was analyzed. Measures included mental health complaints (last 30 days), anxiety-depression complaints (last 14 days), and general health status. Percentage of green spaces was derived from the National Land Cover Dataset. The associations were examined in both total and subsamples (urban vs. rural zip-codes). Bivariate correlations and multilevel regression analysis controlling for age, sex, race, income, education level, size of green space, and zip-code population and socio-economic situation indicated ‘aggregated green space’ was not associated with mental and general health. On the other hand, respondents in areas that have more forests report fewer days of mental health complaints in total sample. Results also revealed that more urban green space was associated with fewer days of mental health complaints in urban zip-codes. In addition, size of forest in urban areas was associated with fewer days of mental health complaints. Our findings suggest that types of green space should be considered individually rather than aggregated as ‘simply green’ and ‘size’ of forest in urban areas seems an important factor to affect the relationship between green space and mental health.

Urban design and planning influences on the share of trips taken by cycling

This study examines the effect of different street pattern, road infrastructure and other physical attributes on the share of bicycle trips in a community area. Using the 2011 census data and the road infrastructure data of Calgary city, the study finds that different street patterns have significant effects on bicycle usage and thus, should be considered in the development of new communities for promoting active transport. Also, increases in the percentage of green space (agricultural and park areas) and semi-detached houses are associated with greater bicycle use, whereas an increase in the number and/or size (area) of road intersections is associated with reduced bicycle use relative to other modes of transport.

Greener living environment healthier people?: Exploring green space, physical activity and health in the Doetinchem Cohort Study

BackgroundEvidence is emerging that more green space in the living environment is associated with better health, partly via the pathway of physical activity. ObjectivesWe explored the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between green space and physical activity and several health indicators in the Doetinchem Cohort Study. MethodsA random sample of men and women aged 20–59years at baseline was measured max 5 times with 5year-intervals in the period 1987–2012. Data of round 3–5 were used. Measurements were based on examinations (height, weight, blood pressure) or questionnaires (physical activity, perceived health, depressive symptoms, chronic conditions). The percentage of green space (mainly urban and agricultural green) around the home address (125m and 1km) was calculated using satellite data. ResultsMore agricultural green was associated with less time spent on bicycling (β1km=−0.15, 95%CL −0.13; −0.04) and sports (β1km=−0.04, 95%CL −0.07; −0.01) and more time spent on gardening (β1km=0.16, 95%CL 0.12; 0.19) and odd jobs (β1km=0.10, 95%CL 0.05; 0.15), and this was in the other direction for urban green. For only a few of the many health indicators a positive association with green was found, and mainly for total green within 1km radius. Longstanding green or a transition to more green did not show more pronounced associations with health. ConclusionsFor the green space range of the Doetinchem area the findings do not strongly support the hypothesis that the percentage of green in the living environment affects health positively. The distinction by type of green may, however, be relevant for physical activity.

Hedonic pricing and different urban green space types and sizes: Insights into the discussion on valuing ecosystem services

In order to differentiate the potential key benefits associated with different urban green spaces, we divided green spaces into nine categories, depending on their type and size. Additionally, we used the percentage of green space in a 500m radius to represent the general ambient condition. Our sample consists of 9346 apartment sales' transactions that took place in Lodz, Poland in 2011–2013. The stepwise regression reduced the number of variables from the initial 48 to 24 in the standard model, and to 26 in the fixed effects model (considering the effects of different districts). The impacts of various green space categories were consistent in both models: the largest forest and large parks were the most important and, together with small forests and the percentage of green space in a 500m radius, positively influenced apartment prices. Cemeteries had a negative impact on apartment prices. Our results show that people do value nature, but unfortunately we cannot determine for which specific reasons. Hedonic pricing seems to be too general for that purpose, in that it only depicts the impacts of the best-known green spaces and the general ambient condition. In this way, our findings contribute to the broader discussion on applying hedonic pricing to the valuation of ecosystem services.