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. 2021 May 12;18(10):5137.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105137.

Association between Urban Greenspace and Health: A Systematic Review of Literature

Vincenza Gianfredi  1 , Maddalena Buffoli  2 , Andrea Rebecchi  2 , Roberto Croci  1 , Aurea Oradini-Alacreu  1 , Giuseppe Stirparo  1 , Alessio Marino  1 , Anna Odone  3 , Stefano Capolongo  2 , Carlo Signorelli  1
Affiliations

Association between Urban Greenspace and Health: A Systematic Review of Literature

Vincenza Gianfredi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The current review aimed to explore the association between urban greenspaces and health indicators. In particular, our aims were to analyze the association between publicly accessible urban greenspaces exposure and two selected health outcomes (objectively measured physical activity (PA) and mental health outcomes (MH)). Two electronic databases-PubMed/Medline and Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE)-were searched from 1 January 2000 to 30 September 2020. Only articles in English were considered. Out of 356 retrieved articles, a total of 34 papers were included in our review. Of those, 15 assessed the association between urban greenspace and PA and 19 dealt with MH. Almost all the included studies found a positive association between urban greenspace and both PA and MH, while a few demonstrated a non-effect or a negative effect on MH outcomes. However, only guaranteeing access is not enough. Indeed, important elements are maintenance, renovation, closeness to residential areas, planning of interactive activities, and perceived security aspects. Overall, despite some methodological limitations of the included studies, the results have shown almost univocally that urban greenspaces harbour potentially beneficial effects on physical and mental health and well-being.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; green areas; green infrastructures; mental health; non-communicable diseases; physical activity; stress; urban greenery; urban health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The financier did not intervene in data collection, selection or interpretation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of articles stratified by health outcome (Physical Activity (PA) or Mental Health (MH)).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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