Fast Fact Library

The presence of parks and other green space reduces urban crime, according to a systematic review on the relationship between violent crime and urban green spaces. Potential causes include the role of green spaces...

Shepley, Mardelle, Naomi Sachs, Hessam Sadatsafavi, Christine Fournier, and Kati Peditto. “The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 24 (2019): 5119. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245119.

Tree cover may improve academic performance. A study of 624 Illinois public high schools showed that tree cover density within a 1-mile radius of schools was positively associated with better ACT scores and college...

Li, Dongying, Yen-Cheng Chiang, Huiyan Sang, and William C. Sullivan. “Beyond the School Grounds: Links between Density of Tree Cover in School Surroundings and High School Academic Performance.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 38 (2019): 42–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.11.001

Researchers studying a Toronto pilot project found that installing a bike lane and removing 136 on-street parking spaces improved the business environment for establishments along the corridor. The number of...

Arancibia, Daniel, Steven Farber, Beth Savan, Yvonne Verlinden, Nancy Smith Lea, Jeff Allen, and Lee Vernich. “Measuring the Local Economic Impacts of Replacing On-Street Parking With Bike Lanes.” Journal of the American Planning Association 85, no. 4 (2019): 463–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2019.1638816

Level of residential neighborhood greenness is associated with less problematic behavior in children, particularly aggressive behaviors and attention problems, according to a study of 1,817 South Korean...

Lee, Mihye, Suejin Kim, and Mina Ha. “Community greenness and neurobehavioral health in children and adolescents” Science of The Total Environment 672 (2019): 381-388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.454.

High-quality visible vegetation, such as that seen through a window at home or at work, can provide relief from noise annoyance (feelings of displeasure with unwanted noise) with a similar effect to reducing noise...

Van Renterghem, Timothy. “Towards explaining the positive effect of vegetation on the perception of environmental noise.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 40 (2019): 133-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.03.007.

According to a review of studies on park size and urban cooling effect, large urban parks with an area of more than 10 hectares (24.7 acres) provide the highest-intensity cooling effect as well cooling over the...

Aram, Farshid, Ester Higueras García, Ebrahim Solgi, and Soran Mansournia. “Urban green space cooling effect in cities.” Heliyon 5, Issue 4 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01339.

A study of the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States found that walkable urban places (places developed for walkability and without prioritizing automobiles), perform better economically than sprawling...

Hadden Loh, Tracy, Christopher B. Leinberger, and Jordan Chafetz. Foot Traffic Ahead. New York: Smart Growth America and the George Washington University School of Business, 2019. https://smartgrowthamerica.org/resources/foot-traffic-ahead-2019/?download=yes&key=46188795

A study of 9,186 U.S. nursing homes found that increased tree canopy cover is associated with fewer depressive symptoms. This association did not vary by race or socioeconomic status of nursing home residents.

Browning, Matthew H.E.M., Kangjae Lee, and Kathleen L. Wolf. “Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 41 (2019): 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.002

According to a Michigan study based on salivary biomarkers, the greatest stress reduction benefit is achieved with 20 to 30 minutes of exposure to urban nature. Participants taking a "nature pill" of 20 to 30...

Hunter, MaryCarol R., Brenda W. Gillespie, and Sophie Yu-Pu Chen. (April 2019). Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology 10: 722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722