Urban green space

[3] Urban greening policies are important for revitalizing communities, reducing financial burdens on healthcare and increasing quality of life.

By promoting the development of parks, green roofs, and community gardens, these policies contribute to cleaner air, mitigate the urban heat effects, and create spaces for recreation and social interaction.

[5] In particular, in cities with economic decline, such as the Rust Belt in the United States, urban greening has broad community revitalization impacts.

As the counterpart to development, urban open space is a natural and cultural resource, synonymous with neither "unused land" nor "park and recreation areas."

The benefits that urban open spaces provide to citizens can be categorized into four basic forms: recreation, ecology, aesthetic value, and positive health impacts.

Such coupling leads to decreased levels of stress, lowers the risk for depression, and increases the frequency of participation in exercise.

"[16] One researcher notes how attractive neighborhoods contribute to positive attitudes and social norms that encourage walking and community values.

[24] Access to urban open space encourages physical activity and reduces ambient air pollution, heat, traffic noise and emissions.

Individuals and families who lived closer to ‘formal’ parks or open space were more likely to achieve the recommended amounts of physical activity.

“High concentrations of ambient particles can trigger the onset of acute myocardial infarction and increase hospitalization for cardiovascular disease.

"[28] Besides an association with lower Body Mass Index (BMI)/obesity rates, this physical activity can increase lung function and be a protective factor against respiratory disease.

[32] In urban areas, limited access to green space and poor quality of green spaces available may contribute to poor mental health outcomes; according to some studies, people living in cities and towns may have weaker mental health in comparison to people living in less crowded areas.

[33] The distance an individual lives from a green space or park and the proportion of land designated as open space/parks has been shown to be inversely related to the number of anxiety/mood disorder treatments in the community.

[36] Vegetation type (trees, shrubs and herbaceous layers) and lack of management (pruning, irrigation and fertilization) has been shown to affect a higher capacity to provide the ecosystem services of air purification and climate regulation within green urban spaces.

The shade provides protection from the sun for vulnerable populations, such as children, during periods of increased temperature, during the summer months or during a heat wave.

[44] Higher exposure to tree canopy and pollen was associated with a high risk of prevalence rhinitis, allergic sensitization, wheezing, and asthma among children 7 years-old.

[45] The access to green spaces has shown an association with recreational walking, increased physical activity, and reduced sedentary time in all ages.

[45] Children exposed to urban green spaces have the opportunity to expend energy by interacting with their environment and other people through exercise.

One study has shown that without access to urban green spaces, some children have problems with hyperactivity, peer interactions, and good conduct.

[47] Interactions with nature, animals, and peers have positive influences on child development and reduction in behavioral issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

[54] Islamic gardens are distinctive green spaces that blend cultural, religious, and practical elements, serving as earthly representations of paradise.

Typically featuring symmetrical designs, often in a four-fold pattern called chahar bagh or chahār bāgh with fountains, flowing channels, or reflective pools.

[56][57] London, England has a long history of urban open space, which has influenced development of modern parks, and is among the greenest capital cities in the world.

[58] The basis for many urban open spaces seen today across Europe and the West began its process of development in London in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Since the late 1800s romantic park systems, open space designers have been concerned with guiding, containing or separating urban growth, distributing recreation, and/or producing scenic amenity, mostly within the framework of geometric abstractions.

[63] As modernity stressed "increased efficiency, quantifiability, predictability, and control… In concert with the additional social divisions",[63] open spaces grew more specific in purpose.

An example of this can be seen in Copenhagen where an area closed to car traffic in 1962 developed, in just a few decades, a culture of public political gatherings and outdoor cafes emerged.

[67] At the beginning of the 21st century, studies began to show that living in areas near water (known as "blue spaces") considerably improved physical and mental health, increasing life longevity.

[33] Neighborhoods with higher percentages of minority residents often have lower access to open space and parks as the result of past red-lining policies and current inequities in funding priorities.

[8] Distant or absent adequate green space, therefore, may contribute to higher rates of inactivity and negative societal effects among minority populations.