Information and Evidence
on why Urban Greenspace is vital for our environment and health

Urban greenspace is of fundamental importance for everybody because our environment and our health are inextricably linked.

The latest study from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)   states that major climate changes are now unavoidable and the focus must be on adapting life to survive the most devastating changes.

Climate change is a fact and it is also a fact that it is about four degrees centigrade cooler in the shade of a tree in an urban park than it is in the shade of a building on a paved city footpath.  On a hot day our urban green spaces provide a natural air-conditioned environment for those whose bodies cannot support excessive heat.  One way of adapting to a changing climate is to preserve and maintain our urban green spaces.  The planting of additional trees would also contribute to our future well-being. Our urban green spaces are not just pretty, they are essential for our quality of life now and in the future.

Researchers from Wageningen University in Holland found that the difference in the temperature,  measured in the shade in Rotterdam city centre and measured in the shade in the De Twee Heuvelen city park was 4.4 degrees centigrade in the early afternoon in August .

For some people this 4-degree difference can represent the difference between life and death.>14,802 people died as a direct result of the heat-wave in France in 2003.

As the years go by we can expect more and more summer heat-waves and we can expect the temperatures in our cities to be hotter and hotter when the heat-waves come. The urban heat island effect makes our cities several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. Vegetation reflects sunlight and can reduce the ambient air temperature through transpiration.

As global temperatures rise our urban green spaces will become more important for our welfare. It is dangerous for our health and for the health of future generations to deplete these spaces.  It is absolutely essential that the current trend of gradually reducing our urban green space is stopped.

Trees act as natural air conditioners. The evaporation from a single large tree can produce the cooling effect of ten room-size air conditioners operating 24 hours a day. We need trees in our cities and as temperatures rise we need more trees in our cities, not less.  >20 trees can offset the pollution from a car driven 60 miles per day.

Trees and shrubs cool the space around buildings thereby lowering energy demands during periods of hot weather and reducing further harmful carbon emissions. In studies, vegetation has been shown to lower wall surface temperatures by up to 17C, which led to a reduced air conditioner use by an average of 50% (McPherson, 1994). The trees in our urban green spaces also protect our environment by stabilizing the soil thereby reducing soil erosion.

Global warming is bringing increased rainfall to parts of Europe and over the last few years many people have suffered flooding. Our urban green spaces soak up rain water, slowing down and  reducing runoff during wet weather.  Trees and other vegetation  mitigate stormwater naturally.

Urban green spaces reduce noise pollution. Dense screens of trees and shrubs can be used effectively to provide  quieter areas in city parks where people can relax away from the constant background noise of city life.

Trees, shrubs and plants also improve the quality of the air we breathe by filtering out certain air pollutants.  Vegetation removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows and stores this carbon in roots, wood and leaves.  The foliage of vegetation can trap and remove pollutants from the urban atmosphere, especially air-borne particulates . Rainwater is soaked up in planted areas by the plant roots and the microbes in the soil filter out many pollutants before they reach surface or groundwater. The vegetation also has biodiversity value, and provides important habitats for bird, animal and insect life.

Parks and natural areas within our urban environment  provide potential for recreational activities. Parks, sports fields, playing fields and children’s playgrounds also make a significant positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of city dwellers by providing opportunities for exercise and recreation.

Dr Ross Cameron,  a lecturer at the University of Reading  in the UK, spoke at the British Science Festival 2009  emphasising the importance of urban green spaces in keeping us sane and fit. 

He said that studies had shown that urban green space could reduce crime levels by up to a third, particularly domestic violence levels.

“Greenfield sites are not just a luxury, they are essential to our well being,” he said at the British Science Festival. “Creating a concrete jungle does cost lives. It costs lives in terms of depression and encouraging unhealthy lifestyles.”

“ Open spaces such as parks encourage jogging and other exercise. In terms of cardio-vascular disease and diabetes green spaces are very beneficial. They are known to reduce blood pressure and be generally relaxing. Natural spaces are like the fish tank in a dentist waiting room, a piece of nature that reduces your stress and anxiety.”

Dr Cameron also said that studies had even shown natural spaces were good for diseases such as dementia and attention deficit disorder.

HC Deb 28 March 1990 vol 170 cc491-4491 3.37 pm

§ Mr. Harry Greenway (Ealing, North) speaking in the House of Commons:

playing fields are continuing to disappear for building. ... It is said that an area the size of the Isle of Wight is lost every year. That is a huge acreage to lose, bearing in mind the fact that the National Playing Fields Association says that we should have six acres per thousand of the population. Just to achieve that statistic, which is small enough, we should need an extra 6,304 acres of playing fields in the south-east, an extra 2,793 acres in London, an extra 791 acres on Merseyside and an extra 974 acres in the west midlands.

Statistics published in the House of Commons Library show  203 school and community sports pitches have been lost in England and Wales under the current Labour government, with ministers approving 49 sales in the four years since London became the host city for the 2012 Olympics. Before March 2009 it was possible to sell off areas of sports grounds covering less than an acre without any ministerial approval and it is estimated that more than 1,000 smaller sports fields and areas of school playing fields have also been lost in recent years.

A study by the Universities of Bristol and East Anglia has found that people living more than a mile and a quarter from a park are 27 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese.  Official NHS figures already categorise one in four people in the UK as obese. By 2050 the NHS estimate that the figure could be as much as ninety per cent.

Poul Christensen, Acting Chair of Natural England:

"The evidence is becoming increasingly clear that the postcode lottery of access to green space is an important driver behind the differing patterns of the nation's health. Providing easy access to green space is one of the most important and cost effective health initiatives we can make."

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary:

"Green spaces are good for us. People living close to parks are more physically active and less likely to be overweight or obese."