Cecil recommends going beyond creating pockets of nature within a city. He says, 'If we give space to natural processes and link up our green spaces, we can create flourishing and wild ecosystems in man-made environments. There were no sightings of the critically endangered smooth-coated otter in Singapore for decades. Now they are returning to the city, because of its dedication to nature. Some natural spaces are messy, but that's a good thing!
Messy nature isn't just a great habitat for wildlife but it's good for children to play in. Children's depression and ADHD is on the rise and one of the reasons is our disconnect from nature. Simply having access to green spaces in cities can do wonders for our stress levels and concentration at work.
Cecil says, 'People need to interact with nature whenever the opportunity arises. Something as simple as a five- to ten-minute break during the workday can improve well-being and boost productivity.
Right now, however, accessing to green spaces isn't universal - what's more, it can be a driver of inequality in our societies. In , a Lancet study by Dr Richard Mitchell and Frank Popham of 40 million British people found a link between income inequality, access to green spaces and life expectancy. The study revealed that in rural areas with plenty of access to green spaces, the life expectancy of those on the highest and lowest incomes was roughly the same.
However, in urban environments, the gap in life expectancy was staggering. People on the lowest incomes living in cities are expected to live 10 years less than those on the highest incomes. This is due in part to the green spaces available to the richest people, who often live in open, leafy areas, while the poorest are often left living in overcrowded, heavily concreted areas.
Mitchell and Popham's results showed that as you move along an axis of increasing access to green spaces, the difference in life expectancy decreases. But the problem can't be solved just by creating green spaces in poorer areas.
She says, 'It's not as simple as just creating green spaces in certain areas. The situation we have at the moment is that high-quality urban areas, with good access to nature, are more expensive to live in.
It's a kind of green gentrification. Parks should be easily accessible, democratic spaces - somewhere you can go without the pressure to spend money, and meet people from all walks of life within your community. The researchers found that for every 0. These results show just how important green space is when strategizing public health.
Also, cities that do not have much green space should increase it — new parks, trees [on] roads, more grasslands, [etc. The researchers are now using their results to estimate how many premature deaths cities around the world could prevent if they were to reach their green space goals.
On what might come next, Dr. But the next stage is to find if some green spaces work better than others and exactly how the benefits occur to improve further. Beyond being key to public health and preventing premature death, researchers cite the increase in biodiversity and mitigation of climate change as compelling reasons to bump up green spaces and make cities more sustainable and livable.
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Our species has existed for at least , years, but the oldest cities are only some years old. Only recently — little more than a decade ago, according to figures from the UN Population Division — have we become a majority-urban species. Now the number of us living in cities is booming like never before. Our late arrival into cities might help explain our affinity with nature and green spaces.
In , biologist Edward O. His idea was that the environment in which humans evolved has shaped our brain, priming it to respond positively to cues that would have enhanced survival for our ancestors, such as trees, savannah, lakes and waterways.
This, Wilson argued, is why being in nature makes us feel good. Whether that is the reason or not, the past few years have seen an explosion of research finding concrete links between increased exposure to nature and not just improved physical health, but better mental health, too.
Mental health issues are estimated to account for as much as a third of all years lived with disability, and account for around 13 per cent of disability-adjusted life-years DALYs lost , similar to the toll of cardiovascular disease and circulatory disorders. The evidence of positive effects from nature includes studies on specific psychological conditions such as depression , anxiety and mood disorder. Access to nature has also been found to improve sleep and reduce stress , increase happiness and reduce negative emotions, promote positive social interactions and even help generate a sense of meaning to life.
Being in green environments boosts various aspects of thinking, including attention, memory and creativity, in people both with and without depression. Here, too, there appears to be no simple answer. It may improve mental health in this way as well. Evidence is emerging that exposure to these pollutants can damage the central nervous system and is linked with certain mental health conditions such as depression.
Urban vegetation also helps mitigate noise pollution, which causes stress and sleep disturbance. Another possibility is that the mental health effect is mediated via physical health: urban residents living near green spaces simply take more exercise , which in turn improves their mental health. But most research suggests otherwise. In many cultures, visiting green spaces is less associated with physical exercise than with sedentary social activities, such as picnicking.
Certainly, being part of a supportive community is good for mental health — and research shows that attractive public spaces are a catalyst for building cohesive neighbourhoods. Health Community gardens are beneficial to the specific health concerns affecting lower-income urban communities. Eating locally produced food reduces asthma rates because children are able to consume manageable amounts of local pollen and develop immunities.
Exposure to green space reduces stress and increases sense of wellness and belonging. Increasing the consumption of fresh healthy produce is one of the best ways to address childhood lead poisoning. Green Space Lower-income neighborhoods have access to less green space than other parts of the city.
Individual Benefits Health Community gardening is an active pursuit yielding fresh food. The benefits include: By growing some of their own food, individuals and families have access to fresh, nutritious food and the mixed meals that support nutritional health. Because it involves physical activity, community gardening promotes physical fitness and health.
Because organic gardening is a knowledge-based system of gardening rather than one based on quick fixes, it encourages learning in the community gardens in which it is used. Community gardens are used by community education and universities as learning venues. Gardens are used for community education such as waste minimization and the recycling of wastes through composting and mulching.
Social Benefits Community gardening is a social activity involving shared decision-making, problem solving and negotiation, increasing these skills among gardeners. As places where people come together with a common purpose, community gardens are places where people get to meet others. As social venues, community gardens can be used to build a sense of community and belonging; community workers already use the gardens for these purposes.
Urban Improvement Community gardens re-green vacant lots and bring vegetation diversity to public open space and other areas, making them a useful tool for urban improvement. By diversifying the use of open space and creating the opportunity for passive and active recreation, community gardens improve the urban environment.
The diversity of plant types found in community gardens provides habitat for urban wildlife, increasing their value for improving the natural environment. Improving Organizational Practice Local and state government organizations cooperating with community gardeners can improve relations with citizens and, by cooperating with each other, can improve organizational performance.
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