Urban green space: Creating a triple win for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity through behavior change

Kruize, Hanneke, van der Vilet, Nina, Staatsen, Brigit, Bell, Ruth, Chiabai, Aline, Muinos, Gabriel, Higgins, Sahran, Quiroga, Sonia, Martinez Juarez, Pablo, Aberg Yngwe, Monica, Tsichlas, Fotis, Karnaki, Pania, Lima, Maria Luisa, Garcia de Jalon, Silvestre, Khan, Matluba ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5546-1870, Morris, George and Stegeman, Ingrid 2019. Urban green space: Creating a triple win for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity through behavior change. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 (22) , 4403. 10.3390/ijerph16224403

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Abstract

Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nature all exert pressures on urban green space. This is regrettable as green space has the potential to create wins for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity. This paper explores this potential triple win and investigates how to increase the use of urban green space through behavior change. A narrative literature review was conducted and was supplemented with literature suggested by experts. Results show that creating well-designed green spaces and stimulating people to use them can indeed deliver this triple win. Providing accessible, attractive, well-maintained green space with room for socialization, and where people feel safe, may increase the opportunity and motivation of people to use it more often. Informing and educating people and organizing activities may increase capability (and motivation) to use green space. Since the use of green space depends on life stage, lifestyle factors and individual values, it is important to involve potential users in its design. We recommend a specific focus on those groups who may benefit most from the use of green space. More evaluation is needed to inform effective green space interventions and to assess related economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Additional Information:	This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	1660-4601
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 February 2020
Date of Acceptance:	7 November 2019
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 23:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/129985

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