A health relevant approach for assessing urban green spaces

The Technical University of Crete, VARCITIES’ coordinator, published in December 2024 an article on how characteristics of two urban green spaces in our Pilot City of Chania (the Municipal Garden – MGC and Saint Apostoles Park – SAP) impact human health and well-being through metrics like greenness, accessibility, usage, air quality, and temperature regulation, highlighting the need for strategic urban planning to enhance these benefits.

Image sourced from article.

The authors propose an integrated framework for evaluating urban green spaces and analyse the two parks, and compare findings between the two and with other studies on urban green parks. The article also develops planning recommendations for the two parks to increase their benefits on human health and well-being (optimizing tree cover, selecting species for seasonal vegetation stability, enhancing carbon storage, improving amenities, and targeting cooling interventions in high-heat areas).

The study notes gaps in accounting for urban morphology, green space connectivity, and potential overestimations of vegetation’s pollutant removal capacity

The authors encourage further exploration of the health outcomes linked to green spaces and advocate for refined, context-specific data and methods for urban planning and sustainability.

The full article is accessible here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-024-00029-z

Lilli, A., Tsekeri, E. & Kolokotsa, D. A health relevant approach for assessing urban green spaces. Discover Cities 1, 37 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-024-00029-z