Urban green space for health and well-being: developing an ‘affordances’ framework for planning and design

Lennon, Mick; Douglas, Owen; Scott, Mark

doi:10.1080/13574809.2017.1336058

Cited by 70 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…We acknowledge that more-affluent versus less-affluent neighborhoods may vary in their access and/or proximity to high-quality public green spaces, which may account in part for the stronger benefits of greenness for mental health in lower-income neighborhoods, as reported in this paper. Studies are therefore needed with more rigorous research designs, such as longitudinal prospective cohort studies, that can examine the specific types and quality of vegetation and green spaces, the effects of moves, and reasons for moves; all of which may give us a clearer understanding of the basis for these greenness-to-health relationships, and aid in developing possible interventions for the most underserved populations (e.g., tree-planting and increasing access to well-maintained parks in low-income neighborhoods) [ 55 , 56 , 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Disparities in the Relationship of Neighborhood Greenness to Mental Health Outcomes in 249,405 U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries

Brown

Perrino

Lombard

et al. 2018

IJERPH

110

112

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Prior studies suggest that exposure to the natural environment may be important for optimal mental health. The present study examines the association between block-level greenness (vegetative presence) and mental health outcomes, in a population-based sample of 249,405 U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years living in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, whose location did not change from 2010 to 2011. Multilevel analyses examined relationships between greenness, as measured by mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from satellite imagery at the Census block level, and each of two mental health outcomes; Alzheimer’s disease and depression, respectively, after statistically adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and neighborhood income level of the individuals. Higher block-level greenness was linked to better mental health outcomes: There was a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (by 18%) and depression (by 28%) for beneficiaries living in blocks that were 1 SD above the mean for greenness, as compared to blocks that were 1 SD below the mean. Planned post-hoc analyses revealed that higher levels of greenness were associated with even greater mental health benefits in low-income neighborhoods: An increase in greenness from 1 SD below to 1 SD above the mean was associated with 37% lower odds of depression in low-income neighborhoods, compared to 27% and 21% lower odds of depression in medium- and high-income neighborhoods, respectively. Greenness may be effective in promoting mental health in older adults, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, possibly as a result of the increased opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, or stress mitigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Disparities in the Relationship of Neighborhood Greenness to Mental Health Outcomes in 249,405 U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries

Brown

Perrino

Lombard

et al. 2018

IJERPH

110

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Poorer communities live with both poorer access to green space and poorer quality green space (CABE, 2010 ). Lennon et al ( 2017 ) argue that more attention be paid to quality, alongside issues of proximity, and for a more nuanced and dynamic understanding of green space use and perceptions. The authors suggest a framework of affordances to capture multidimensional perspectives of quality amongst diverse sub-groups (e.g., by age, gender, ethnicity).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with Stress in Deprived Urban Neighborhoods: What Is the Role of Green Space According to Life Stage?

2017

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This study follows previous research showing how green space quantity and contact with nature (via access to gardens/allotments) helps mitigate stress in people living in deprived urban environments (Ward Thompson et al., 2016). However, little is known about how these environments aid stress mitigation nor how stress levels vary in a population experiencing higher than average stress. This study used Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to, first, identify latent health clusters in the same population (n = 406) and, second, to relate health cluster membership to variables of interest, including four hypothetical stress coping scenarios. Results showed a three-cluster model best fit the data, with membership to health clusters differentiated by age, perceived stress, general health, and subjective well-being. The clusters were labeled by the primary health outcome (i.e., perceived stress) and age group (1) Low-stress Youth characterized by ages 16–24; (2) Low-stress Seniors characterized by ages 65+ and (3) High-stress Mid-Age characterized by ages 25–44. Next, LCA identified that health membership was significantly related to four hypothetical stress coping scenarios set in people's current residential context: “staying at home” and three scenarios set outwith the home, “seeking peace and quiet,” “going for a walk” or “seeking company.” Stress coping in Low stress Youth is characterized by “seeking company” and “going for a walk”; stress coping in Low-stress Seniors and High stress Mid-Age is characterized by “staying at home.” Finally, LCA identified significant relationships between health cluster membership and a range of demographic, other individual and environmental variables including access to, use of and perceptions of local green space. Our study found that the opportunities in the immediate neighborhood for stress reduction vary by age. Stress coping in youth is likely supported by being social and keeping physically active outdoors, including local green space visits. By contrast, local green space appears not to support stress regulation in young-middle aged and older adults, who choose to stay at home. We conclude that it is important to understand the complexities of stress management and the opportunities offered by local green space for stress mitigation by age and other demographic variables, such as gender.

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“…We also found that specific land covers/uses, and a more even distribution of the land covers/uses (as opposed to dominance by one or two land covers/uses), were both associated with lower levels of socioeconomic inequality in life satisfaction within the city 15. We hypothesised that the range and distribution of land covers/uses speaks to the range of opportunities and environments, and hence affordances16 that the city provides—and that this might explain the associations with life satisfaction levels and its equality. However, life satisfaction is fundamentally a subjective measure of well-being, and may be particularly sensitive to the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Which urban land covers/uses are associated with residents’ mortality? A cross-sectional, ecological, pan-European study of 233 cities

et al. 2019

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ObjectivesThe study aim was to determine whether the range and distribution of all, and proportions of specific, land covers/uses within European cities are associated with city-specific mortality rates.Setting233 European cities within 24 countries.ParticipantsAggregated city-level all-cause and age-group standardised mortality ratio for males and females separately and Western or Eastern European Region.ResultsThe proportion of specific land covers/uses within a city was related to mortality, displaying differences by macroregion and sex. The land covers/uses associated with lower standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for both Western and Eastern European cities were those characterised by ‘natural’ green space, such as forests and semi-natural areas (Western Female coefficient: −18.3, 95% CI −29.8 to −6.9). Dense housing was related to a higher SMR, most prominently in Western European cities (Western Female coefficient: 17.4, 95% CI 9.6 to 25.2).ConclusionsThere is pressure to build on urban natural spaces, both for economic gain and because compact cities are regarded as more sustainable, yet here we offer evidence that doing so may detract from residents’ health. Our study suggests that urban planners and developers need to regard retaining more wild and unstructured green space as important for healthy city systems.

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Urban green space for health and well-being: developing an ‘affordances’ framework for planning and design

Cited by 70 publications

References 86 publications

Health Disparities in the Relationship of Neighborhood Greenness to Mental Health Outcomes in 249,405 U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries

Health Disparities in the Relationship of Neighborhood Greenness to Mental Health Outcomes in 249,405 U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries

Coping with Stress in Deprived Urban Neighborhoods: What Is the Role of Green Space According to Life Stage?

Which urban land covers/uses are associated with residents’ mortality? A cross-sectional, ecological, pan-European study of 233 cities

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