Outdoor Environment

A literature review completed by Nigg, Petersen, and MacIntyre’s confirms the positive effects of exposure to nature during the pandemic and argues for the future support of nature spaces.  The investigators found that “Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate [lessen] the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. . . . Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health.”

How does being in nature influence phone use?  Minor and colleagues found that “Evidence links greenspace exposure with restorative benefits to cognition and well-being, yet nature contact is declining for younger demographics. . . . we analyzed ~2.5 million observations of logged smartphone use, texting, calling, and environmental exposures for 701 young adults over 2 years. Participants’ weekly smartphone screen-time was over double their green-time. The relationship between greenspace exposure and smartphone activity differed by exposure dose, type, and mobility state.

Hyvonen and colleagues studied the relationship between spending time in nature and mental health.  They report that their “research investigated the effects of a nature-based treatment on participants diagnosed with depression. Participants . . . were randomized into nature-based . . . or standard care-only . . . groups. The participants in the nature-based group were offered 12 nature-based sessions once a week in addition to standard care. . . .

Weiss, Kahn, and Lam link children spending time in wilder nature areas to their behavior via an observational study in forest preschools. The researchers report that “Interaction with nature is vital for children's physical and psychological development. . . . [we] tested our hypothesis that relatively wild areas of this environment would be positively associated with child-nature behaviors that were more relational – that is, behaviors demonstrating a bond with nature or respect, including the ability to cohabitate with other lifeforms, and to promote the well-being of nature.

Is it worth the effort to go on a walk during the winter?  Yes! Researchers have determined that “spending time in snowy surroundings can improve how you feel about your body. . . . Before and after walking in a snowy woodland in the Silesia region of Poland [people walked in small groups], the participants [all women] completed a measure of their body appreciation. . . .  The study found that spending a short amount of time in nature – in this case approximately 40 minutes – results in greater body appreciation.”

Nieuwenhuijsen and team identify mental health benefits of urban green spaces.  They share that “Recently a new 3-30-300 rule of thumb for urban forestry and urban greening has been proposed. . . . The rule requires that every citizen should be able to see at least three trees from their home, have 30 percent tree canopy cover in their neighbourhood and not live more than 300 m away from the nearest park or green space. . .

Donovan and colleagues link increased numbers of trees in an area and lower death rates there.  They share that they “used a natural experiment to assess the impact of 30 years of tree planting . . . on non-accidental, cardiovascular, lower-respiratory, and accidental mortality in Portland, Oregon. . . . Each tree planted in the preceding 15 years was associated with significant reductions in non-accidental . . . and cardiovascular mortality. . . .

Barron and Rugel argue that greenspace planning needs to better reflect the usage-related needs of young adults.  The pair state that “The voices of young adults (15−24) ring faintly in the conversation around nature-based solutions (NBS). . . . NBS clearly shape young adults — including their connections with nature, engagement in pro-environmental behaviours, and social and psychological health — but the dramatic reshaping of urban areas via rapid growth, densification, and technological innovation means today’s young adults have fewer opportunities to benefit from NBS.

Ogletree and colleagues found lower crime levels in areas near greenspaces.  They report that they “investigate[d] the relationship between different types of crime and urban greenspace in 59,703 census block groups within the 301 largest cities in the United States. After accounting for . . . demographic, socioeconomic, and climate variables, we found that, on average, census block groups with more greenspace . . . had lower risk of both property [for example, arson, vandalism, and burglary]. . . and violent crime. . . .