Editorial: Exploring the multifaceted relationship between human health and urban nature in times of crises

Abstract

[Excerpt] It is time to go beyond traditional boundaries and investigate a more thorough understanding of the relationship between green spaces and human health, even though research on this topic is well established (Vidal et al., 2022). This is especially important given the looming challenges posed by climate change and other compounding crises (Vidal et al., 2024). This editorial highlights the need for practical, inclusive, and equitable solutions while examining new paradigms that deepen our understanding of urban ecology, health, and resilience.

Numerous health advantages, such as less cardiovascular risk, better mental health, and increased social cohesiveness, have long been linked to green spaces (van den Berg et al., 2015; Lai et al., 2019). According to meta-analyses, those who spend more time in green spaces had a significantly lower all-cause death rate (Rojas-Rueda et al., 2019). Access to urban green spaces was crucial for psychological respite during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its function as public health infrastructure (Slater et al., 2020). Access to these advantages is still uneven, though. Marginalised people are disproportionately affected by differences in the availability of green space, which exacerbates health disparities (Rigolon, 2016). Given that nature has the ability to reduce social and health inequalities, equitable access to it must be given top priority in urban development.

Conventional definitions of green spaces—parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets—fail to capture the diversity of urban nature. Innovative and multipurpose solutions that incorporate nature into urban infrastructure are encouraged by emerging frameworks such as Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) (Raymond et al., 2017). Examples of how nature can be incorporated into densely inhabited regions to improve ecosystem services and climate resilience include rooftop gardens, vertical forests, and urban wetlands. For such innovations to be inclusive and relevant, participatory methods must serve as their foundation. Urban nature’s psychological advantages are becoming more widely acknowledged as important aspects of public health. Stress reduction and mood enhancement have been associated with exposure to biodiverse habitats (Fuller et al., 2007). A fresh perspective on these advantages is provided by sensory urbanism, which highlights the multimodal experience of urban nature (Tabassum, 2024). The therapeutic value of spaces can be increased by designing them to engage sight, hearing, and touch, especially for groups that have restricted mobility or access to conventional green spaces (Lencastre et al., 2022, 2023). [...]