Is a Green Residential Environment Better for Health? If So, Why
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8375274 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter P Groenewegen, Peter Groenewegen (0000-0003-2127-8442, Utrecht University), Agnes E Van Den Berg (0000-0002-7332-5397, Wageningen University & Research), Jolanda Maas (Amsterdam Public Health), Robert A Verheij, Robert Verheij (0000-0003-2234-4819, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Sjerp De Vrie (0000-0002-0525-6967, Wageningen University & Research), Sjerp de Vries |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 102 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 996-1003 |
| Publication date | 2012-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annals of the Association of American Geographers (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-5608 • E-ISSN: 1467-8306 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00045608.2012.674899 |
| OpenAlex | W2077411204 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 41 |
| References cited | 46 |
Over the past years our group has been working on a coherent research program on the relationships between greenspace and health. The main aims of this “Vitamin G” program (where G stands for green) were to empirically verify relationships between greenspace in residential areas and health and to gain insight into mechanisms explaining these relationships. In this article, we bring together key results of our program regarding the relevance of three possible mechanisms: stress reduction, physical activity, and social cohesion. The program consisted of three projects in which relationships between greenspace and health were studied at national, urban, and local scales. We used a mixed-method approach, including secondary analysis, survey data, observations, and an experiment. The results confirmed that quantity as well as quality of greenspace in residential areas were positively related to health. These relationships could be (partly) explained by the fact that residents of greener areas experienced less stress and more social cohesion. In general, residents of greener areas did not engage in more physical activity. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of these findings and identification of areas that need more in-depth research
Cohesion (chemistry) · Environmental health · Environmental planning · Geography · Mental health · Physical health · Political science · Relevance (law) · Medicine · Noise Effects and Management · Psychology · Urban Agriculture and Sustainability · Urban Green Space and Health
A Primrose Path? Moderating Effects of Age and Gender in the Association between Green Space and Mental Health
Diversity and ethnobotany of useful plants in Bandar Pusaka, Aceh Tamiang District, Indonesia
The Health Benefits of Urban Nature
The rarity of direct experiences of nature in an urban population
Home garden use during Covid-19
Health Benefits from Nature Experiences Depend on Dose
Moving beyond the neighborhood
How might contact with nature promote human health? Promising mechanisms and a possible central pathway
Nature and mental health
Nature Contact and Human Health
Defining greenspace
Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits
The Relationship between the Restorative Perception of the Environment and the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Different Types of Forests on University Students
Contact to Nature Benefits Health
Urban Public Spaces as Restorative Environments
Green Space Attachment and Health
Moving beyond Green
Studying Utility of Public Open Spaces
Where greenspace matters most
Dynamic greenspace exposure and residents’ mental health in Guangzhou, China
Do various dimensions of exposure metrics affect biopsychosocial pathways linking green spaces to mental health? A cross-sectional study in Nanjing, China
Assessment of mediators in the associations between urban green spaces and self-reported health
Green Apartheid
Equity in green and blue spaces availability in Singapore
Nature Exposure is Associated With Reduced Smartphone Use
Optimal Scale of Greenspace Exposure for Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment Success
Longitudinal effects of urban green space on walking and cycling
Residential Surrounding Greenness, Self-Rated Health and Interrelations with Aspects of Neighborhood Environment and Social Relations
Route Choices to Access Public Open Spaces in Hill Cities
Home and nearby nature
Sometimes I just wanna be outside
I speak to the trees because nature is my friend
The contribution of small-scale food production in urban areas to the sustainable development goals
How heritage promotes social cohesion
The effect of urban green on small-area (healthy) life expectancy
How ordinary wildlife makes local green places special
Toward Improved Public Health Outcomes From Urban Nature
Stress and the ecology of urban experience
A Socio-Spatial Approach to Enable Inclusive Well-Being in Cities
Hanging Around in Their Brokenness
Does walking explain associations between access to greenspace and lower mortality
Garden cities of to-morrow
Graffiti, greenery, and obesity in adults
Perceived and objective environmental measures and physical activity among urban adults
The relationship between access and quality of urban green space with population physical activity
Restorative Effects of Natural Environment Experiences
Landscape planning and stress
Understanding environmental influences on walking
Environmental preference and restoration
Where Does Community Grow?
Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities
The Nature of the View from Home
Green Common Spaces and the Social Integration of Inner-City Older Adults
Psychosocial and environmental factors associated with physical activity among city dwellers in regional Queensland
Allotment gardening and health
Green exercise in the UK countryside
Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments
Garden Cities Of To-Morrow
Physical activity as a possible mechanism behind the relationship between green space and health
The association between green space and cause-specific mortality in urban New Zealand
Vitamin G
Do green areas affect health? Results from a Danish survey on the use of green areas and health indicators
The relationship between leisure, walking, and transportation activity with the natural environment
Social contacts as a possible mechanism behind the relation between green space and health
Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health
Urban residential environments and senior citizens’ longevity in megacity areas
Greenspace in urban neighbourhoods and residents' health
Morbidity is related to a green living environment
Green space, urbanity, and health
Recreational values of the natural environment in relation to neighbourhood satisfaction, physical activity, obesity and wellbeing
Greenspace, urbanity and health
Chernobyl exposure as stressor during pregnancy and hormone levels in adolescent offspring
A Comparison of Leisure Time Spent in a Garden with Leisure Time Spent Indoors
Fertile Ground for Community
Sense of community referred to the whole town
Natural Environments—Healthy Environments? An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Greenspace and Health
The restorative benefits of nature
Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health
Developing a framework for assessment of the environmental determinants of walking and cycling
From place-based to people-based exposure measures
Streetscape greenery and health
Gardening Promotes Neuroendocrine and Affective Restoration from Stress
When Are Neighbourhoods Communities? Community in Dutch Neighbourhoods
| Unique citing works | 41 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,42 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 39 |