Fast Fact Library

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.

Elderly residents in a geriatric home had increased powers of concentration after a visit to a garden, compared to after relaxing in a favorite room indoors. 

Ottoson, Johan and Patrik Grahn. (2005). A Comparison of Leisure Time Spent in a Garden with Leisure Time Spent Indoors: On Measures of Restoration in Residents in Geriatric Care. Landscape Research 30, 1: 23-55.

Office workers with views of nature report greater job satisfaction than those with no views or views without nature.

Kaplan, Rachel. (2003). The Role of Nature in the Context of the Workplace. Landscape and Urban Planning, 26(1), 193-201.

Neighborhood design, namely walkability, may contribute to significantly more overall physical activity of residents. In walkable neighborhoods, the increase in walking for errands amounted to 70 more minutes of...

Saelens, Brian E., James F. Sallis, Jennifer B. Black, and Diana Chen. (2003) Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: An environment scale evaluation. American Journal of Public Health 93(9), 1552-1559.

In a study that compared psychophysiological stress recovery and directed attention restoration, people recovered from stressful situations faster when they sat in a room with a window view of trees compared to when...

Hartig, Terry, Gary W. Evans, Larry D. Jamner, Deborah S. Davis, and Tommy Gärling. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(2), 109-123.

Senior citizens in urban areas have a higher longevity when the environment around their home includes walkable green spaces, less noise from traffic, and when their homes have more hours of sunlight. Living near...

Takano, Takehito, Keiko Nakamura, and Masafumi Watanabe. (2002). Urban residential environments and senior citizens’ longevity in megacity areas: The importance of walkable green spaces. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 56(12), 913-918.

A review of 10 studies suggests that creating or enhancing access to places for physical activity, such as fitness centers or trails, combined with informational outreach, such as training on equipment or health...

Howze, Elizabeth H., Kenneth E. Powell, Elaine J. Stone, and Mummy W. Rajab. The effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22, no. 4S (2002): 73-107.