Given the already high proportion of the global population living in urban areas is expected to rise in the coming years, cities will continue to face stark and growing liveability challenges. A key challenges is managing and developing urban green spaces, considered crucial for the well-being of residents. The role of green spaces in urban areas in relation to health and mortality outcomes is receiving growing attention, in part due to the increased availability of high-resolution environmental and geospatial data, which enables measures of proximity and coverage of green spaces in and around urban residential areas.

Exposure to residential green areas has been associated with reduced mortality, particularly related to cardiovascular diseases, but conversely also better health outcomes, including mental health. A recent study shows that the size, the quality and the proximity of the urban green infrastructure is associated with lower prevalence of chronic morbidities, especially in neighbourhoods with higher proportions of older people. From a policy perspective, this means that effective planning of urban green spaces should take into account the demographic composition of neighbourhoods.

The beneficial effects of urban natural environments on health are determined by a series of intertwined mechanisms. Trees and vegetation improve air quality both directly, by reducing pollutant levels, and indirectly, by cooling urban environments and reducing building energy demand. Moreover, parks and green areas can foster physical activity and active transport, even though the influence of natural environments on these activities can vary by population subgroup. Some studies also find the density of green areas to be associated with higher perceived social cohesion at the neighbourhood level and with lower noise pollution.

The availability of urban green space in Europe varies greatly between cities and countries: the evidence shows a clear North-South gradient in European cities, with Northern and Western European cities characterised by a much higher availability of green areas per resident compared to most Southern and Eastern European cities. This pattern is evident also at more aggregate levels (NUTS 1), as shown in our Mapineq Link dashboard.

Our Mapineq Link interactive dashboard allows you as a policy-maker, journalist or
researcher to examine the association between urban green spaces and key health and demographic outcomes, thanks to the availability of data on concentrations of urban green spaces in European regions.

(Written by Giovanni Scotti Bentivoglio, updated Melinda C. Mills 04 December 2024)