Reasoning & Evidence
Nature-based environments can provide direct, restorative benefits for well-being such as inducing stress relief, inspiring awe, and fostering prosocial behavior.(22) Natural areas, such as green and blue spaces, also indirectly benefit our well-being by creating space for social interactions and social cohesion.(23) Access to nature-based environments influences the mental health of communities; spending time in nature provides cognitive restorative benefits, enhances feelings of awe and beauty, renews attention, alleviates tension, and fosters a sense of meaning in life.(24) However, access can be a barrier in dense, urban environments, which are home to over half of the world’s population, particularly in marginalized communities such as BIPOC, low-income, and fenceline neighborhoods.(25) Harmful policies like redlining have led to fewer green spaces in affected neighborhoods, worsening climate impacts such as extreme heat and flooding. Increasing access requires structural efforts to correct these inequities. Urban greenspace refers to vegetation of any kind in urban locations, such as smaller green spaces with features like street trees and green roofs, or larger green spaces like parks or greenways.(26) Discover the multitudes of interventions that can increase urban access to green space in this report by the World Health Organization.
Nature-based environments also have great capacity to support social health, through increased engagement and connections with others. Green spaces foster social interaction through elements like sidewalks to encourage pedestrianism, playgrounds, and shaded areas.(27) Open green spaces provide spaces for children to play and meet one another, observe and appreciate wildlife, engage in recreational and sporting activities, and participate in organized community events. Research shows that tree coverage and park proximity are linked with perceptions of social cohesion and social capital building.(22,27) Additionally, greening urban spaces through interventions like restoring vacant lots has been shown to significantly reduce crime, such as gun assaults and burglaries, while enhancing perceptions of safety and promoting greater social interaction among community members.(62) Similarly, blue spaces enhance social connections and a sense of belonging by providing a place for social interaction and engagement.(28) However, access to blue space is more limited than green space, as it is harder to implement in geographic locations where water is not physically present.(29) This highlights the need to maximize access to blue space where it exists, like creating waterfront walkways and parks.
Examples of Community Implementation
Bronx County, New York: The Mott Haven-Port Waterfront Plan in the Bronx is revitalizing a waterfront that has previously been characterized by power plants and waste transfer stations. 97% of this community is Black and Brown individuals, and urban planners recognized the impact of environmental racism on this community through the disproportionate impact of pollution generated from the power plants. Interviews with residents helped shape the plan to bring new life to the waterfront through increased access, microforests, increased room for recreation, and shoreline and reef restoration. The plans also included efforts to increase both pedestrian mobility and public transit access to and from the waterfront. Following the project, residents experienced an improved environment with cooler ambient air and greater access to local blue and green spaces.
Atlanta, Georgia: The Atlanta BeltLine was created from an old railroad corridor and is now a massive greenway that encircles the city’s downtown and connects 45 neighborhoods to each other and to other parks. Over the past 17 years, this unused transportation corridor has transformed into a vibrant green space that offers activities like free exercise classes, arboretum tours, a lantern parade, and an abundance of murals and street art. One particular art feature, Tiny Door ATL, has excelled at creating a sense of community through a scavenger hunt of community-painted, mini doors that are hidden throughout the greenway.
Reference: The SOCIAL Framework: The Environmental Sector Supplemental Brief
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