Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen

Biographic Data

ID	3044256
NAME	Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen
GIVEN NAMES	Mark J
FAMILY NAME	Nieuwenhuijsen
SIGNATURE	NIEUWENHUIJSEN M J
AFFILIATIONS	Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain
VERIFIED	No
TOTAL WORKS	38
TOTAL CITATIONS	4
AUTHOR COUNT	38
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	2006
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2026
H-INDEX	1

Evidence-Based Policy for Urban Environmental Health: A Cross-Sectional Stakeholder Survey in Bulgaria
Open AccessKostadin Kostadinov, Angel M Dzhambov et al.ARTICLEUrban Science2026
Background: Translating urban environmental health evidence into actionable policies remains challenging in South-Eastern Europe, where environmental epidemiology has yet to reach maturity and institutional capacity and cross-sector coordination are suboptimal. This study assessed stakeholders’ awareness, perceived roles, and prioritization of urban health challenges, alongside the barriers and evidence needs related to healthy and sustainable ur…
Does nature make us less lonely? Analysis in Bulgaria's five largest cities
Open AccessIana Markevych, Clemens Baumbach et al.ARTICLEHealth & Place2025Cited by: 4
Our findings underscore the importance of extending and improving structured urban green spaces in Bulgarian cities
The health potential of urban water: Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities
Open AccessSusanne Wuijts, Marit de Vries et al.ARTICLECities2022References: 23
Although cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities…
Air pollution, physical activity and health: A mapping review of the evidence
Open AccessMarko Tainio, Zorana Jovanovic Andersen et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2021
BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution and physical inactivity are both significant risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These risk factors are also linked so that the change in exposure in one will impact risks and benefits of the other. These links are well captured in the active transport (walking, cycling) health impact models, in which the increases in active transport leading to increased inhaled dose of air pollution. However,…
The climate change mitigation effects of daily active travel in cities
Open AccessChristian Brand, Evi Dons et al.ARTICLETransportation Research Part D:…2021
Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is considered the most sustainable form of personal transport. Yet its net effects on mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected travel activity data in seven European cities and derived life cycle CO2 emissions across modes and purposes. Daily mobility-related life cycle CO2 emissions were 3.2 kgCO2 per person, with car travel contributing 70% and cycling 1%…
Urban Climate Policy and Action through a Health Lens—An Untapped Opportunity
Open AccessAudrey de Nazelle, Charlotte Roscoe et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2021
Motivated by a growing recognition of the climate emergency, reflected in the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), we outline untapped opportunities to improve health through ambitious climate actions in cities. Health is a primary reason for climate action yet is rarely integrated in urban climate plans as a policy goal. This is a missed opportunity to create sustainable alliances across sectors and groups, to engage a broad set of stakeholde…
Assessing the Policy Environment for Active Mobility in Cities—Development and Feasibility of the Pasta Cycling and Walking Policy Environment Score
Open AccessSonja Kahlmeier, Esther Anaya-Boig et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2021
The importance of setting a policy focus on promoting cycling and walking as sustainable and healthy modes of transport is increasingly recognized. However, to date a science-driven scoring system to assess the policy environment for cycling and walking is lacking. In this study, spreadsheet-based scoring systems for cycling and walking were developed, including six dimensions (cycling/walking culture, social acceptance, perception of traffic saf…
Urban and transport planning pathways to carbon neutral, liveable and healthy cities; A review of the current evidence
Open AccessMark Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J NieuwenhuijsenARTICLEEnvironment International2020
INTRODUCTION: Half the world population lives in cities and this is likely to increase to 70% over the next 20 years. Suboptimal urban and transport planning has led to e.g. high levels of air pollution and noise, heat island effects and lack of green space and physical activity and thereby an increase in morbidity and premature mortality. How can better urban and transport planning improve public health? METHODS: A narrative meta-review around a…
The impact of Covid-19 on public space: An early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities
Jordi Honey-Rosés, Isabelle Anguelovski et al.ARTICLECities & Health2020
Restrictions on the use of public space and physical distancing have been key policy measures to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and protect public health. At the time of writing, one half of the world's population has been asked to stay home and avoid many public places. What will be the long term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on public space once the restrictions have been lifted? The depth and extent of transformation is unclear, especi…
Green spaces and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Open AccessDavid Rojas-Rueda, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet Planetary Health2019
Associations of green space metrics with health and behavior outcomes at different buffer sizes and remote sensing sensor resolutions
Open AccessJason Su, Jason G Su et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2019
Satellite data is increasingly used to characterize green space for health outcome studies. Literature suggests that green space within 500 m of home is often used to represent neighborhood suitable for walking, air pollution and noise reduction, and natural healing. In this paper, we used satellite data of different spatial resolutions to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), an indicator of surface greenness, at buffer distances…
Do Physical Activity, Social Cohesion, and Loneliness Mediate the Association Between Time Spent Visiting Green Space and Mental Health?
Open AccessMagdalena M van den Berg, Mireille N M Van Poppel et al.ARTICLEEnvironment and Behavior2019
This cross-sectional study investigated whether physical activity, social cohesion, and loneliness mediate the association between time spent visiting green spaces and perceived mental health and vitality. Questionnaire data were collected from 3,948 residents from 124 neighborhoods across four European cities. Multilevel linear regression analysis revealed positive, but weak, associations between time spent visiting green space and Medical Outco…
Urban health: An example of a “health in all policies” approach in the context of SDGs implementation
Open AccessOriana Ramírez‐rubio, Carolyn Daher et al.ARTICLEGlobalization and Health2019
BACKGROUND: Cities are an important driving force to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. The SDGs provide an operational framework to consider urbanization globally, while providing local mechanisms for action and careful attention to closing the gaps in the distribution of health gains. While health and well-being are explicitly addressed in SDG 3, health is also present as a pre condition of SDG 11, that…
Fifty Shades of Green: Pathway to Healthy Urban Living
Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen et al.ARTICLEEpidemiology2017
Currently half the world population lives in cities, and this proportion is expected to increase rapidly to 70% over the next years. Over the years, we have created large, mostly grey cities with many high-rise buildings and little green space. Disease rates tend to be higher in urban areas than in rural areas. More green space in cities could reduce these rates. Here, we describe the importance of green space for health, and make recommendations…
BlueHealth: A study programme protocol for mapping and quantifying the potential benefits to public health and well-being from Europe's blue spaces
Open AccessJames Grellier, Mathew P White et al.ARTICLEBMJ Open2017
INTRODUCTION: Proximity and access to water have long been central to human culture and accordingly deliver countless societal benefits. Over 200 million people live on Europe's coastline, and aquatic environments are the top recreational destination in the region. In terms of public health, interactions with 'blue space' (eg, coasts, rivers, lakes) are often considered solely in terms of risk (eg, drowning, microbial pollution). Exposure to blue…
Natural outdoor environments and mental health: Stress as a possible mechanism
Open AccessMargarita Triguero-Mas, David Donaire-González et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research2017
Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: A systematic review of quantitative studies
Open AccessMargarita Gascón, Wilma Zijlema et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of Hygiene…2017
Exploring pathways linking greenspace to health: Theoretical and methodological guidance
Open AccessIana Markevych, Julia Schoierer et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research2017
Car free cities: Pathway to healthy urban living
Open AccessMark Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2016
Residential green spaces and mortality: A systematic review
Open AccessMargarita Gascón, Margarita Triguero-Mas et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2016
Urban and transport planning, environmental exposures and health-new concepts, methods and tools to improve health in cities
Open AccessMark Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J NieuwenhuijsenARTICLEEnvironmental Health2016
BACKGROUND: The majority of people live in cities and urbanization is continuing worldwide. Cities have long been known to be society's predominant engine of innovation and wealth creation, yet they are also a main source of pollution and disease. METHODS: We conducted a review around the topic urban and transport planning, environmental exposures and health and describe the findings. RESULTS: Within cities there is considerable variation in the …
Green spaces and General Health: Roles of mental health status, social support, and physical activity
Open AccessPayam Dadvand, Xavier Bartoll-Roca et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2016
Can air pollution negate the health benefits of cycling and walking?
Open AccessMarko Tainio, Audrey de Nazelle et al.ARTICLEPreventive Medicine2016
Active travel (cycling, walking) is beneficial for the health due to increased physical activity (PA). However, active travel may increase the intake of air pollution, leading to negative health consequences. We examined the risk-benefit balance between active travel related PA and exposure to air pollution across a range of air pollution and PA scenarios. The health effects of active travel and air pollution were estimated through changes in all…
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990–2013: A systematic analysi…
Open AccessMohammad H Forouzanfar, Lily Alexander et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2015
Natural outdoor environments and mental and physical health: Relationships and mechanisms
Open AccessMargarita Triguero-Mas, Payam Dadvand et al.ARTICLEEnvironment International2015