Blue space

[1] Substantial urban waterbodies naturally exist as integral features of the geography of many cities because of their historical development, for example the River Thames in London.

A variety of studies have found that people living near coastal areas, are less sedentary more likely to engage in moderate and vigorous physical activity adequate for health,[18] which could be explained due to the encouraging presence of walk paths along the coast.

[22] Living near blue spaces can improve the quality of life of people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, which could be explained by the mists and sprays generated by the water movement[23] as shown on a study measuring the impact in health of green and blue spaces for those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

[24] Researchers found that individuals across 15 countries in Europe and Australia report better general health when they live closer to the coast or visit it more often.

A group of researchers studying the effect of green and blue spaces on happiness used a mobile app to track mood feelings of people when they were near water landscapes.

[29] Consistently with the findings focusing on physical health, the positive effects on mood associated to blue spaces seem to diminish as the distance between the residence and the water increases.

[30] Educational interventions in blue spaces - such as sailing - have been shown to have positive perceived effects on people undergoing drug and alcohol rehabilitation.