Fast Fact Library

Access to green space for urban-dwelling women may be associated with lower risk of breast cancer. A study of 1,129 breast cancer cases and 1,619 controls throughout 10 Spanish provinces indicates that the closer a...

O’Callaghan-Gordo C., M. Kogevinas, M. Cirach, G. Castaño-Vinyals, N. Aragonés, J. Delfrade, T. Fernández-Villa, P. Amiano, T. Dierssen-Sotos, A. Tardon, R. Capelo, R, Peiró-Perez, V. Moreno, A. Roca-Barceló, B. Perez-Gomez, J. Vidan, A. Molina, M. Oribe, E, Gràcia-Lavedan, A. Espinosa,  A. Valentin, M. Pollán, MJ Nieuwenhuijsen. (August 2018). Residential proximity to green spaces and breast cancer risk: The multicase control study in Spain (MCC-Spain). International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.07.014.

Wildlife crossings not only protect wildlife, they also promote human safety. A study of a Colorado State Highway showed an 86% reduction in the number of animal carcasses found along the highway and a 70% decrease...

Julia Kintsch et al., “State Highway 9 Wildlife Crossings Monitoring – Year 2 Progress Report,” Colorado Department of Transportation (March 2018): i-ii. 

A study of 541 vacant lots in the United States demonstrated a 29% decrease in gun violence and 13.3% decrease in overall crime in neighborhoods below the poverty line after the implementation of inexpensive...

Branas, Charles C., Eugenia South, Michelle C. Kondo, Bernadette C. Hohl, Philippe Bourgois, Douglas J. Wiebe, and John M. MacDonald. (March 2018) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 115(12): 2946-2951. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1718503115

A study of 167 European cities suggests that up to 10,000 premature deaths could be avoided annually if cities provided sufficient infrastructure and 1 in every 4 citizens used bicycling as their primary mode of...

Natalie Mueller et al., on behalf of the PASTA consortium. Health impact assessment of cycling network expansions in European cities. Preventive Medicine 10.1016 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.12.011

The greening of vacant lots can reduce self-reported feelings of depression in adults. In a Philadelphia study of 324 participants living in an area where 110 vacant lots received clean-up and greening interventions...

South, Eugenia C., Bernadette C. Hohl, Michelle C. Kondo,  John M. MacDonald, and Charles C. Branas. (2018). Effect of Greening Vacant Land on Mental Health of Community-Dwelling Adults: A Cluster Randomized Trial. JAMA Netw Open 1(3):e180298. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0298

A visual preference survey of 836 Boston pedestrians and cyclists indicates a preference for trees and shrubs as dividers between bike lanes and traffic and the presence of trees alongside bike lanes over no trees...

Lusk, Anne C., Demostenes Ferreira da Silva Filho, and Lea Dobbert. (2018). Pedestrian and cyclist preferences for tree locations by sidewalks and cycle tracks and associated benefits: Worldwide implications from a study in Boston, MA. Cities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.06.024

Residents living near popular public parks are more likely to be satisfied with their local government institutions. A survey of over 5,000 respondents in 26 United States communities found 29% greater satisfaction...

Center for Active Design. “The Assembly Civic Engagement Survey.” (June 2017). https://cdn.plataformaurbana.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/assembly-civic-engagement-survey.pdf.

A Melbourne study assessing bat, bird, and insect presence in urban habitats found that increasing volume of understory vegetation and percentage of native vegetation had positive effects on populations. A 30%-120%...

Threlfall, Caragh G., Luis Mata, Jessica A. Mackie, Amy K. Hahs, Nigel E. Stork, Nicholas S. G. Williams, and Stephen J. Livesley. Increasing biodiversity in urban green spaces through simple vegetation interventions. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54 (2017): 1874-1883. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12876.

A study of 174 parks in 25 U.S. cities found that parks with walking loops had 90% higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in park users as compared to parks without walking loops. Parks with walking...

Cohen, Deborah A., Bing Han, Kelly R. Evenson, Catherine Nagel, Thomas L. Mckenzie, Terry Marsh, Stephanie Williamson, and Peter Harnik. “The Prevalence and Use of Walking Loops in Neighborhood Parks: A National Study.” Environmental Health Perspectives 125, no. 2 (2017): 170–74. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp293.

More time spent outdoors reduces the onset of nearsightedness (or myopia) in children and adolescents, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of research on the association between time spent outdoors...

Xiong, Shuyu et al. “Time spent in outdoor activities in relation to myopia prevention and control: a meta-analysis and systematic review.” Acta ophthalmologica vol. 95,6 (2017): 551-566. https://doi.org/10.1111/aos.13403.