116
5.5 Conclusion
Research studies on the association between urban green space and health shows
that availability, proximity and use of urban green space such as parks or even allotment gardens, helps to improve the mental health of urban residents even when
controlling for socio-economic or socio-demographic confounders. Studies that
focus on other health outcomes, such as overweight or birth outcomes, show that
significant relationships partly disappear when statistical models are adjusted for
socio-economic variables. Income, deprivation or education are amongst the most
important variables that confound the green space–health-outcome relationship.
Nevertheless, a mediating role of urban green space for socio-economic inequality
in health outcome was identified. The results have led to important planning recommendations and directions for future research, which have been presented and discussed here.
This area of research is gaining widespread attention through the promotion of
the Sustainable Development Goals and related larger project financing, considering recent calls under the European Commission Research and Innovation
Programme. A number of important studies are expected to be conducted in the near
future.
Acknowledgments This work was supported by the project “Environmental-health Interactions
in Cities (GreenEquityHEALTH) – Challenges for Human Well-being under Global Changes”
(2017–2022) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (funding code: 01LN1705A).
References
Abelt K, McLafferty S (2017) Green streets: urban green and birth outcomes. Int J Environ Res
Public Health 14(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070771
Allan R, Williamson P, Kulu H (2017) Unravelling urban-rural health disparities in England. Popul
Space Place 23(8):e2073. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2073
Aspinall P et al (2013) The urban brain: analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG. Br
J Sports Med 1. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877
Astell-Burt T, Mitchell R, Hartig T (2014) The association between green space and mental health
varies across the lifecourse. A longitudinal study. J Epidemiol Community Health 68(6):578–
583. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-203767
Bowler DE et al (2010) Urban greening to cool towns and cities: a systematic review of the empirical evidence. Landsc Urban Plann Elsevier B.V. 97(3):147–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
landurbplan.2010.05.006
Calogiuri G, Patil GG, Aamodt G (2016) Is green exercise for all? A descriptive study of green
exercise habits and promoting factors in adult Norwegians. Int J Environ Res Public Health
13(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13111165
Casey JA et al (2016) Greenness and birth outcomes in a range of Pennsylvania communities. Int
J Environ Res Public Health 13(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13030311
N. Kabisch
5.5 Conclusion
Research studies on the association between urban green space and health shows
that availability, proximity and use of urban green space such as parks or even allotment gardens, helps to improve the mental health of urban residents even when
controlling for socio-economic or socio-demographic confounders. Studies that
focus on other health outcomes, such as overweight or birth outcomes, show that
significant relationships partly disappear when statistical models are adjusted for
socio-economic variables. Income, deprivation or education are amongst the most
important variables that confound the green space–health-outcome relationship.
Nevertheless, a mediating role of urban green space for socio-economic inequality
in health outcome was identified. The results have led to important planning recommendations and directions for future research, which have been presented and discussed here.
This area of research is gaining widespread attention through the promotion of
the Sustainable Development Goals and related larger project financing, considering recent calls under the European Commission Research and Innovation
Programme. A number of important studies are expected to be conducted in the near
future.
Acknowledgments This work was supported by the project “Environmental-health Interactions
in Cities (GreenEquityHEALTH) – Challenges for Human Well-being under Global Changes”
(2017–2022) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (funding code: 01LN1705A).
References
Abelt K, McLafferty S (2017) Green streets: urban green and birth outcomes. Int J Environ Res
Public Health 14(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070771
Allan R, Williamson P, Kulu H (2017) Unravelling urban-rural health disparities in England. Popul
Space Place 23(8):e2073. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2073
Aspinall P et al (2013) The urban brain: analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG. Br
J Sports Med 1. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877
Astell-Burt T, Mitchell R, Hartig T (2014) The association between green space and mental health
varies across the lifecourse. A longitudinal study. J Epidemiol Community Health 68(6):578–
583. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-203767
Bowler DE et al (2010) Urban greening to cool towns and cities: a systematic review of the empirical evidence. Landsc Urban Plann Elsevier B.V. 97(3):147–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
landurbplan.2010.05.006
Calogiuri G, Patil GG, Aamodt G (2016) Is green exercise for all? A descriptive study of green
exercise habits and promoting factors in adult Norwegians. Int J Environ Res Public Health
13(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13111165
Casey JA et al (2016) Greenness and birth outcomes in a range of Pennsylvania communities. Int
J Environ Res Public Health 13(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13030311
N. Kabisch