Just What the Doctor Ordered

As cities increase in density, greenspaces often dwindle. Studies have shown that natural environments in urban areas can make a huge impact on our perception of wellbeing. In 2015, Nature published a report called Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center. Focused on the population of Toronto, its purpose was to uncover “associations between comprehensive greenspace metrics and health”. To carry out this research, they conducted an online health survey (31,109 participants) combined with tree data and high-resolution satellite imagery. Their analyses uncovered some interesting findings. For example, people living in neighbourhoods with more trees had a significantly higher perception of health. They also suffered from less cardio-metabolic conditions. And according to this Guardian article, the report states that as little as “10 more trees in a city block improved how someone rated their health by a level comparable to an increase in annual income of $10,000”. Check out the full report here.

To learn more about the benefit of trees in cities, check out this CRC Research blog

Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), "Le Parc Monceau", 1877, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), "Le Parc Monceau", 1877, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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