Fast Fact Library

In a study of physically inactive adults in New South Wales, Australia, interesting scenery, including neighborhood aesthetics and greenery, and good street lighting at night, correlated with an increased amount of...

Merom, Dafna, Adrian Bauman, Philayrath Phongsavan, Ester Cerin, Mazen Kassis, Wendy Brown, Ben J. Smith, and Chris Rissel. (2009). Can a motivational intervention overcome an unsupportive environment for walking – findings from the Step-by-Step Study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 38(2), 137-146.

A study in Philadelphia estimated that 196 premature, heat-related fatalities could be avoided over a 40-year period if a 50% Low Impact Development approach (runoff from 50% of impervious surface in the city is...

Stratus Consulting. (2009). A Triple Bottom Line Assessment of Traditional and Green Infrastructure Options for Controlling CSO Events in Philadelphia’s Watersheds. Office of Watersheds, City of Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia, PA.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) concentrate better after a walk in a city park than after walks in other urban settings.

Taylor, Andrea Faber, and Frances E. Kuo. “Children With Attention Deficits Concentrate Better After Walk in the Park.” Journal of Attention Disorders 12, no. 5 (2009): 402–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054708323000.

A British study found that the attributes of neighborhood open spaces (NOS) relevant to older people's life satisfaction were pleasantness, safety in and around the open space, and distance to it. Findings suggest...

Sugiyama, Takemi, Catharine Ward Thompson, and Susana Alves. (2009). Associations Between Neighborhood Open Space Attributes and Quality of Life for Older People in Britain. Environment and Behavior, 41(1), 3-21.

Subjects recovered better from low-level stress when looking out a glass window at nature than when looking at a HDTV real-time display of nature through a plasma display, and recovered better when looking at the...

Kahn, Peter H., Batya Friedman, Brian Gill, Jennifer Hagman, Rachel L. Severson, Nathan G. Freier, Erika N. Feldman, Sybil Carrère, and Anna Stolyar. (2008). A plasma display window?—The shifting baseline problem in a technologically mediated natural world. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(2), 192-199.

Parks containing a paved or unpaved trail and parks with wooded areas were 7 times more likely to be used for physical activity than parks without such features. The size of the park and its distance from users'...

Kaczynski, Andrew T., Potwarka, Luke, Saelens, Brian E. (2008) Association of park size, distance, and features with physical activity in neighborhood parks. American Journal of Public Health 98(8), 1451-1457.

Experiencing nature promotes recovery from crisis better than taking a walk or interacting with friends, and the benefits may be larger for those who are suffering the most. People with many experiences of nature...

Ottosson, Johan, and Patrik Grahn. (2008). The role of natural settings in crisis rehabilitation: How does the level of crisis influence the response to experiences of nature with regard to measures of rehabilitation? Landscape Research, 33(1), 51-70.

Children living in areas of New York City with more street trees have a lower prevalence of asthma, as indicated by a study of children aged 4-5 years in 42 health service catchment areas. The rate of early...

Lovasi, Gina S., James W. Quinn, Kathryn M. Neckerman, Matthew S. Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle. (July 2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower prevalence of asthma. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 62(7): 647-649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2007.071894

The perceived health of residents increases as the amount of green space increases within 3 km of their homes, regardless of how urban the respondents' homes are. 15.5% of respondents living near the lowest amount...

Maas, Jolanda, Robert A. Verheij, Peter P. Groenewegen, Sjerp De Vries, and Peter Spreeuwenberg. “Green Space, Urbanity, and Health: How Strong Is the Relation?” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 60, no. 7 (July 2006): 587–92. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.043125.

A study of 8 British schools found that moderate to vigorous physical activity levels were 32% higher for children on playgrounds with brightly colored markings as compared to activity levels of children on...

Stratton, Gareth, and Elaine Mullan. “The Effect of Multicolor Playground Markings on Children’s Physical Activity Level during Recess.” Preventive Medicine 41, no. 5-6 (2005): 828-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.07.009.