Residential Greenery Research Articles

Reassessing the non-linear causal link between long-duration commuting and self-rated health: do behavioral preferences and built environment matter?

Long-duration commuting is widely recognized for its significant influence on health. However, while research has traditionally focused on direct impacts, there remains a critical need to explore the nonlinear dynamics of this relationship. This study aims to deepen our understanding of how behavioral preferences and built environments contribute to these complex interactions. This study was conducted in Jinan, China's most congested city, using data from the "Jinan Residents Commuting Survey" of 1,755 participants aged 19 to 59. We applied Generalized Propensity Score Matching (GPSM) to explore the nonlinear effects of commuting time on self-rated health, adjusting for participants' sociodemographic characteristics. Variables related to active commuting, physical activity, and perceived built environment were also examined for their potential moderating effects. Commuting for less than 21 minutes enhances health, but negative effects intensify and peak at 60 minutes. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that women and older adults, especially those with higher incomes, are more susceptible to long commutes, experiencing a delayed onset of adverse effects. While active commuting offers health benefits, it may exacerbate health issues if prolonged. Conversely, regular physical activity consistently improves health outcomes related to commuting. Additionally, factors like residential greenery and walkability help alleviate commuting-related stress, improving the overall commuting-health dynamic. This study clarifies the commuting-health relationship by identifying key time thresholds and the positive effects of active commuting and physical activity on mitigating longer commute impacts. The findings inform healthier commuting behaviors and offer practical guidelines for urban planning and policy-making to enhance commuter well-being.

Exploring the dose-response of landscape preference: A case study in Singapore

Despite pursuing greening initiatives, cities might experience excessive greenery at the neighborhood level. The intension of this research is to promote ecosystem services and avoid the mantle of so-called “green urbanism”. Hence, examining the dose-response relationship is essential to understanding the intricate interplay between residential greenery quantity and landscape preference. Drawing upon preference assessment data from multiple neighborhoods with 30 typical scenes (n = 147), we employ Kaplan's landscape preference matrix (KLPM) to quantify the spatial distribution of greenery and individuals' preference assessment from the perspectives of Mystery, Coherence, Legibility, and Complexity. Results from multiple and ridge regressions indicate that the dose-response curve follows a polynomial shape, with landscape preferences reaching a threshold as the NDVI value increased from 0.35 to 0.42. Beyond the threshold, the trend of landscape preference levels tapers off and eventually plateaus. Therefore, the conclusion of our cross-sectional experiment adequately reflects the threshold effect of landscape preference toward greenery quantity. Furthermore, the weight of Mystery, Coherence, and Legibility in KLPM all showed a positive strong correlation, but the dose-response relationship cannot be fully explained by Complexity. These results inform how designers can more effectively promote optimal doses of nearby nature to circumvent worldwide overheated "Garden City” initiatives.

Resilience and Sustainability Through Green Infrastructure

This research explores the pivotal role of green infrastructure in fostering urban resilience and sustainability based on a critical analysis of study findings from best practices. The literature review integrates ecological, social, and economic aspects to clarify its importance. Defined as a network of natural and artificial components, Green infrastructure is subject to several interpretations, as this study explores. Green infrastructures are becoming more critical in developing smart cities in our modern era. Through psychological relaxation and stress relief, social cohesion, physical activity support, and a reduction in exposure to air pollution, noise, and extreme heat, urban green space such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery can improve mental and physical health and lower morbidity and mortality rates among urban residents. The conceptual framework's development plans focus on community involvement and smooth integration with current urban structures. The conclusion emphasizes how green infrastructure may change cities for the better. It provides a road map for overcoming challenges and embracing a future in which urbanization and nature coexist to create resilient and sustainable urban cities.

Impact of changing urban typologies on residential vegetation and its climate-effects – A case study from Helsinki, Finland

Residential green spaces are an integral part of urban green infrastructure and its role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Various urban typologies and changing planning practices affect the amount and structure of residential greenery, which has a direct impact on climate benefits. While urban green and its climate benefits have received increasing attention, there is still limited knowledge on how changing planning practices and related urban typologies impact residential vegetation and its capacity to deliver climate benefits. This paper aims to address this gap by determining the impact of planning practices on residential vegetation, focussing specifically on climate mitigation and adaptation. With the case study of Helsinki, characterized by a high share of green areas, the paper first examines how construction year and urban density affect the amount and structure of vegetation on residential properties. Second, it estimates the carbon sequestration and summer temperatures in the present-day climate. The paper applies spatial modelling and regression analysis to estimate the impact of construction year on the studied dependent variables, while controlling density via gross floor area of buildings. The study demonstrates that the average amount of residential vegetation, as measured using canopy and vegetation cover, has declined 15 percentage points from the 1970 s to early 2010 s and the canopy to low vegetation ratio has decreased constantly over the periods studied. The decline of the canopy cover in particular has reduced the climate benefits of residential vegetation. The paper highlights the significant impact of gross floor area and planning practices on urban vegetation cover and the climate benefits it provides. It also stresses the importance of ensuring sufficient tree cover and permeable surfaces in cities with progressive climate mitigation agenda throughout the chain of urban planning, construction, and subsequent property management stages.

Awakening the sleeping giant of urban green in times of crisis-coverage, co-creation and practical guidelines for optimizing biodiversity-friendly and health-promoting residential greenery.

As multiple crises deepen existing inequalities in urban societies within and between neighborhoods, strategically integrating nature-based solutions into the living environment can help reduce negative impacts and improve public health, social cohesion, and well-being. Compared to public green such as parks, semi-public residential greenery is rarely studied, is regularly overlooked by planners, and often receives step-motherly treatment from architects and housing companies. We approximated the area of residential greenery of modernist multi-story apartment complexes in Berlin, Germany. We surveyed residents' suggestions for improving their living environments in vulnerable neighborhoods, report on co-creation experiences, and provide a practical guideline for optimizing health-promoting residential green spaces. The semi-public open space on the doorstep of two-thirds of Berlin's population is highly fragmented and, in total, has a similar area as the public green spaces and a great potential for qualitative development. Just as the suitability of different nature-based solutions to be integrated into the residential greenery depends on building types, resident demands differ between neighborhoods. Residents called for more involvement in design, implementation, and maintenance, frequently proposing that biodiversity-friendly measures be included. As there is no universal solution even for neighborhoods sharing similar structural and socioeconomic parameters, we propose, and have tested, an optimization loop for health-promoting residential greening that involves exploring residents' needs and co-creating local solutions for urban regeneration processes that can be initiated by different actors using bottom-up and/or top-down approaches in order to unlock this potential for healthy, livable and biodiversity friendly cities.

Green Space at New Housing Estates: Flat Price Versus Accessibility to Good Quality Greenery

Green areas positively affect human health. It applies in particular to greenery in a direct neighbourhood of the housing. We analysed new housing estates in Poznan, Poland. Greenery quality was assessed according to developed factors, based on data about the area of the greenery in comparison with the area covered by hardscapes within the site; pre-existing greenery inventories; new greenery inventories; green area functions and accessibility. In the second stage of research, we compared data about greenery quality to information concerning economic value of the statistic flat in the estate. The average area of greenery in relation to the area of the plot was 40.16% for prestigious investments and 41.62% for less prestigious ones. The median value of WU (‘Socialisation rate’ indicator designed for this research) for prestigious investments was 0.035 and for less prestigious investments it was 0.226. The research showed that the price of flats does not affect the quality of residential greenery. Less prestigious (cheaper) flats have the same or even better access and quality of greenery in the estate. Developers do not take actual actions in the field of environmental compensation, which leads to lowering of the quality of greenery and public space.

How to Systematically Evaluate the Greenspace Exposure of Residential Communities? A 3-D Novel Perspective Using UAV Photogrammetry

The quantity and quality of green space (GS) exposure play an important role in urban residents’ physical and psychological health. However, the current framework for assessing GS quality is primarily based on 2-D remote sensing data and 2.5-D street-view images. Few studies have comprehensively evaluated residential community GSs from an overall 3-D perspective. This study proposes a novel systematic framework for evaluating the quantity and quality of residential GSs based on the generation of a high-resolution 3-D point cloud using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-digital aerial photogrammetry (DAP). Nine indices were proposed: green volume ratio, floor green volume index, green groups diversity index, vegetation diversity index, greenspace fragmentation, average vegetation colour distance, vegetation colour diversity, activity areas ratio, and green cohesion index of activity site. These metrics were calculated using the classified point clouds from four typical Chinese residential communities with different residential greenery types and population densities. The results showed that our method could quantitatively identify the differences in residential GS exposure within urban residential communities. For example, a residential community with a large plant distribution and rich greenery variations had higher greenspace volume ratio and vegetation diversity index values. Our findings suggest that this novel framework, employing cost-effective UAV-DAP, can clearly describe different GS attributes and characteristics, aiding decision-makers and urban planners in comprehensively implementing GS interventions to improve the residents’ quality of life.

Greening the Core of the Mediterranean City

ABSTRACT Mediterranean cities are the oldest in Europe, built according to the practices and worldviews of their times. City cores are densely settled, having developed spontaneously with almost no systematic planning. The result is a core that lacks open spaces for greenery. The goal of the present study is to compare the existing state of residential greenery and urban parks in the Mediterranean with cities in Northern Europe that include such spaces. To achieve that goal, existing greenery per capita (residential greenery and urban parks) data for selected Mediterranean cities were gathered based on Google Earth. Results are compared with greenery per capita in selected cities in Northern Europe. Additional aspects of urban green spaces, such as landscaping and urban park design, are identified and compared to Mediterranean city cores. Suggestions for improving greenery within Mediterranean cities are offered at the conclusion of the study.

Crisis mediated new discoveries, claims and encounters: Changing use and perception of residential greenery in multistory housing in Berlin, Germany

With the stay at home orders during the pandemic, the often semi-public green spaces of the residential environment, usually created during the building of the houses, became our literal spheres of experience. In our study, we explored use and perceptions of local greenery by residents after sixteen months of the COVID-19 crisis, using face to face questionnaires in eight socially disadvantaged neighborhoods of Berlin, all exposed to high loads of environmental stressors and belonging to four relevant building types of Central European cities. Residential greenery was highly appreciated by residents during COVID-19, and fostered a more active appropriation such as meeting neighbors to reduce the sense of loneliness, doing sports and co-creating refugia in challenging times (e.g. greened balconies). Having children or doing home office/schooling encouraged people to use the green in front of the door in more active ways, such as gardening or even during winter. A minor proportion of respondents reduced contacts mainly due to fear of infections, underlining the need to overcome those distances and to re-connect neighbors and living inside and outside the houses in a post-pandemic city. Our data prove the functionality of residential greenery as ‘social tissue’ or ‘social hubs’ of neighborhoods by fostering attachment to place and people and, at the same time, as healthy environment for practices such as enjoying nature and physical activity in fresh air.

Can multiple pathways link urban residential greenspace to subjective well-being among middle-aged and older Chinese adults?

In recent years, there is a growing interest in the benefits of green spaces on individuals’ subjective well-being in developed countries; however, few studies have examined the underlying mechanisms for these benefits and differentiated the cognitive from the emotional component of subjective well-being, especially in the rapidly urbanizing and ageing China. This study aims to disentangle bio-socio-behavioural pathways linking greenery surrounding residential spaces to subjective well-being among middle-aged and older adults in eight Chinese cities using data from the World Health Organisation’s Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE). We employ multilevel structural equation modelling to estimate the mediating roles of physical activity, air pollution, and neighbourhood social cohesion in the relationships between residential greenery and the tripartite components of subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect). Results indicate that residential greenery is positively associated with life satisfaction and is not significantly directly related to either positive or negative affect. Results further suggest that middle-aged and older adults living in greener neighbourhoods experience a higher level of life satisfaction due to the enhancement of neighbourhood social cohesion and the mitigation of air pollution, but not the encouragement of physical activity; however, alleviating air pollution enhances their life satisfaction through encouraging physical activity and facilitating social cohesion in serial mediation. Our findings provide a deeper insight into the salutogenic effect of urban green space for middle-aged and older adults and can aid the development of guidelines for enabling ageing in place through land-use planning and landscape architecture.

Plants with health risks undermine residents’ perceived health status, evaluations and expectations of residential greenery

Given the growing reports on the services and disservices of urban greenery and its health effects, it is necessary to understand how the public perceives these health effects to enhance public acceptance of urban greening improvement strategies aimed at better public health. To address this issue, we surveyed the plant composition, vegetation coverage rate (ratevegcover), residents’ self-perceived health status and their evaluation and desire for residential greening in 68 residential compounds in the old city of Nanjing, China. The results show that the ratevegcover and diversity of all plants (diverall) were correlated with a lower self-reported rate of allergic diseases and a higher satisfaction level with green space or vegetation maintenance. However, as the diversity of plants with airborne pollen (diverpollen) increased, residents reported higher allergic disease prevalence and lower satisfaction levels with residential greening. Similarly, as the diversity of plants with airborne plant fibers(diverfibers) increased, residents not only reported higher respiratory disease prevalence and more severe health impairment from airborne plant fibers but also became less satisfied with residential greening and less supportive of higher overall plant diversity or the presence of more plants with attractive flowers. Although mismatches existed between residents’ perceptions, feelings and plant survey results , it is clear that researchers need to examine the adverse effects of plants with health risks on public experiences and expectations of residential greening and to evaluate both the positive and negative impacts of plants on public health at the species level.

Outlook and insights: Perception of residential greenery in multistorey housing estates in Berlin, Germany

Although window views of residential greenery are the main daily nature contact for Berlin residents, studies that examine this experience are rare but crucial to improving environmental justice and the health outcomes of green planning and policy. We analyzed 504 photos of the window views of residential greenery taken at 32 study sites for the four main Central European building types in Berlin, Germany. Visible green and structural elements were quantified from the perspective of the window and compared to presence on the ground. The window perspective is significantly distinct from the perspective at ground level. In general, lower numbers of plants and structural elements are visible from the window. In this study, we identified specific compositions of window views for different building types but also a high variability of compositions across sites. Moreover, 98 participants, including the elderly, lay people, and professionals, ranked 24 representative photos of window views according to preference. Preference has closely been linked to beneficial functions. Vegetation is perceived as a highly positive factor, trees more so than groups of shrubs. Structures for recreation are perceived positively while structures for practical use, like waste storage and parking, are perceived negatively. Accordingly, we show that residential greenery has the potential to reconcile different interests among neighbors. A multifunctional design can provide recreational space for active users as well as aesthetically pleasing window views. However, the highly individual nature of window perspectives requires individual solutions according to available size and the resident’s needs.

Green Spaces in Residential Areas of Dar es Salaam City: Types, Coverage and Uses

Green spaces in urban areas including in Dar es Salaam City provide multiple ecological, social and economic benefits. Despite their benefits they are inadequately documented in terms types, coverage and uses. This paper attempts to provide information on types, coverage and uses of green space in Dar es Salaam City. A number of methods including literature review, interpretation of remotely sensed image, interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires were used to document city greenery. The research findings show that residential greenery is made up of greenery found within and external to plots. The dominant green spaces external to residential plots were natural and semi natural vegetation while within plots were woody plants, plots farms vegetable and ornamental gardens. Distribution of greenery varied among the wards due to differences in building density and distance from the city centre. Natural and semi natural vegetation increased with decrease of building density and increase of distance from the city centre, while the number of plots with trees for shade increased with increase of building density. Only Kawe ward that had greenery above Tanzania space planning standards, the other three wards which are informal settlements had green space deficit. Three quarters of the households use green spaces for shade provision and cooling, two thirds as a source of food products and a quarter for recreation and aesthetic purposes. The study reveals that Dar es Salaam City residents invest predominantly on shade trees in their residential plots compared to other green space types.

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

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

The healthy green living room at one’s doorstep? Use and perception of residential greenery in Berlin, Germany

Though the often semi-public green spaces of the residential environment, usually created during the building of the houses, are of a pivotal importance for less-mobile people, after-work recreation and healthy development of children, there has been relatively little research on them. Using face-to-face questionnaires, we explored residents’ use and perceptions of local greenery in eight disadvantaged neighborhoods of Berlin that are exposed to high loads of environmental stressors and belonging to four relevant building types of Central European cities. We find that the greenery of housing complexes of modernism is highly appreciated by local residents; that residents visit parks not more often than once a week but benefit daily from residential greenery; that passive use (enjoying the sun, fresh air) dominates active (meeting neighbors, exercising); that residents visit parks once per week but benefit daily from residential greenery; that the baseline for judgement differs among respondents with different perspectives on the city (e.g. car drivers vs. users of public transport; active vs. passive users); and that residents are highly attached to place but not to their neighbors. Co-creative involvement of residents in the design and management of the residential greenery in order to encourage social contacts and neighbor’s physical activity on the doorstep can bring about change, making residential greenery the social tissue of ‘disadvantaged’ neighborhoods.

Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing the Extent of Residential Green Spaces in Galle City, Sri Lanka

Due to increasing urbanization, the distribution of human settlements is changing and this has led to the rapid decline of vegetation cover in cities and townships. Urbanization tends to decrease the proportion of land that is dedicated to public green spaces. Therefore, residential gardens (private gardens) will need to play a major role in contributing to urban green space in future though presently little attention is given to their relative value and importance. Several factors influence the function of residential gardens in an urban area. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the socio demographic factors that influence the size and presence of residential green spaces in an urban residential zone. As a case study, this research selected a primary residential zone in Galle City, Sri Lanka. Every housing unit (n=280) in a residential zone was surveyed to collect the data for multiple regression analysis. The analysis showed that factors such as land extent (LE), nature orientation (NO), perceptions about advantages of growing residential greenery (PA), perception about disadvantages resulting from residential garden (PDA), occupational status (husband and wife are not occupied) (D1), and their educational level (higher than degree) (D2) significantly affect to the extent of green area maintained by an urban residence. The relationship between extent of residential green space (EGA) and socio demographic factors can be explained by this model: EGA = 0.091 + 0.003LE + 0.060NO + 0.030PA – 0.040PDA + 0.198D1 + 0.240D2.

Greenery exposure and suicide mortality later in life: A longitudinal register-based case-control study

BackgroundExposure to residential greenery accumulates over people’s lifetimes, and possibly has a protective association with suicide later in life. ObjectivesTo examine the associations between suicide mortality and long-term residential greenery exposure in male and female adults. MethodsOur population-based nested case-control study used longitudinally georeferenced Dutch register data. Suicide cases aged 18–64 years between 2007 and 2016 were matched by gender, age, and date of suicide to 10 random controls. We measured long-term greenery exposure along people’s 10-year residential address histories through longitudinal normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) from Landsat satellite imagery between 1997 and 2016. We assigned accumulated greenery exposures, weighted by people’s exposure duration, within 300, 600, and 1,000 m concentric buffers around home addresses. To assess associations between suicide and greenery, we estimated gender-specific conditional logistic regressions without and with adjustment for individual-level and area-level confounders. Stratified models were fitted for areas with a high/low level of urbanicity and movers/non-movers. ResultsOur study population consisted of 9,757 suicide cases and 95,641 controls. In our models adjusted for age, gender, and date of suicide, the odds ratios decreased significantly with higher quartiles of accumulated NDVI scores. NDVI associations were attenuated and did not remain significant after adjustment for socioeconomics, urbanicity, air pollution, social fragmentation, etc. for either males or females. For females, but not males, our model with 300 m buffers for areas with a low level of urbanicity showed a significant suicide risk reduction with increasing levels of NDVI. Individual risk factors (e.g., lack of labor market participation) outweighed the contribution of greenery. ConclusionWe found limited evidence that long-term greenery exposure over people’s lifetimes contributes to resilience against suicide mortality. Ensuring exposure to greenery may contribute to suicide prevention for specific population groups, but the effectiveness of such exposure should not be overstated.

Residential Greenery: State of the Art and Health-Related Ecosystem Services and Disservices in the City of Berlin

Inclusively accessible green areas are essential for livable cities. The residential greenery on a door’s step of urban dwellers has rarely been the subject of research. Here we provide insights into the state of the art of residential greenery in Berlin, Germany. We focus on socially disadvantaged neighborhoods exposed to high loads of environmental stressors and belonging to four relevant building types of Central European cities. 32 plots in eight sample areas were randomly chosen and surveyed during 2017 and 2018. We surveyed the presence of structural elements, the presence and abundance of woody species and the health-related ecosystem (dis-)services (i.e., species’ air filtration and allergenic potential). We analysed the similarity among tree species to assess plant use patterns. The air cleaning and allergenic potential of woody species were assigned based on literature. In order to discuss strategies to improve residential greenery, we performed an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of these green spaces. We revealed a high dissimilarity of woody species assemblages across sites and within different building types, indicating no common plant use fashion. Recorded species provide moderate to high air filtering capacity. One to two third of all trees have a high allergenic potential that has to be addressed in future plant use decisions. Bike racks, benches, lights and playgrounds are common elements, whereas bioswales, facade-bound greening, atrium, fountains or ponds are rare. Their implementation can enhance the health and wellbeing of local residents. Building-attached greenery can improve densely built up areas of the Wilhelminian period, whereas space-intensive measures can be implemented in the spacious greenery of row–buildings settlements of the 1920s–1970s and of large housing estates of the 1970s–1980s. We revealed a high motivation for (co-)design and care by residents and discussed strategies on transformation towards multi-functional, healthy and biodiversity-friendly residential greeneries.

Mapping Urban Green Spaces Based on an Object-Oriented Approach

The advent of technology and its implications on especially remote sensing image processing using High Resolution Satellite Images (HRSI) to map land cover provide researchers to monitor land changes, make landscape analyses, and manage land transformation. One of land dynamics that should be mapped for the sustainability of urban area is green spaces. Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery may promote both mental and physical health. Besides, they contribute to ecosystem services such as reducing heat island effect and carbon storage, aiding water regulation etc. Therefore, mapping urban green infrastructure from a high-resolution satellite image provides an important tool to conduct studies, researches, and projects for sustainable development of urban areas. As the material of this research, one of the orthophotos of Aydin urban area exemplifies the park, the green cover in the agricultural area, the playground, and the residential garden, was used. For classifying land cover from the orthophoto with Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), eCognition Developer 9.0 software was utilized. To combine spectral and shape features, multiresolution segmentation was implemented. Additionally, features as brightness and ratio green were used for the extraction of urban green areas. In this research, urban green areas were successfully extracted from the orthophoto and accuracy assessment was performed on the classified image. OBIA of high resolution imagery enables to extract detailed information of various targets on urban areas. The result of accuracy assessment of the classification achieved 84.68% overall accuracy. To increase the accuracy via manual interventions, manual classification tool of eCognition Developer 9.0 may be used if needed.

Cooling performance of residential greenery in localised urban climates: a case study in Shanghai China

Residential greenery provides accessible amenity space and moderated microclimate for local community. Research has indicated that the cooling performance of urban greenery is impacted by the geometry and fabric of surrounding humanised envelope. The paper proposes a research framework inspired by the idea of urban climate zone (UCZ) to investigate cooling performance of residential greenery in localised urban climates. The inner-city of Shanghai was divided into four UCZs, the meteorological as well as greenery form/density data was measured from ten residential quarters throughout four UCZs. The tree canopy shading and overall foliage density, qualified by the tree view factor and green plot ratio respectively, were found capable of partly explaining the variation in air temperature mitigation. The local urban effect has notable effect on the cooling rates. Residential greenery should be integrated into local green network to optimise its cooling performance.