Fast Fact Library

People living in urban environments with higher walkability, better availability of public transport, and more parks were found to be active on average 68 to 89 minutes more per week than people living in less...

Sallis, James F., Ester Cerin, Terry L. Conway, Marc A. Adams, Lawrence D. Frank, Michael Pratt, Deborah Salvo, Jasper Schipperijn, Graham Smith, Kelli L. Cain, Rachel Davey, Jaqueline Kerr, Poh-Chin Lai, Josef Mitás, Rodrigo Reis, Olga L. Sarmiento, Grant Schofield, Jens Troelsen, Delfien Van Dyck, Ilse De Bourdeauhuij, and Neville Owen 2016. “Physical activity in relation to urban environments in 14 cities worldwide: a cross-sectional study.” Lancet 28; 387 (2018): 2207-17. https://doi.org10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01284-2

Greater exposure to plants, particularly of diverse and native species, may support immune health. In a study of nearly 50,000 children in New Zealand, children who were exposed to more vegetation were 6% less...

Geoffrey Donovan, Demetrios Gatziolis, and Jeroen Douwes. “Vegetation diversity protects against childhood asthma: results from a large New Zealand birth cohort.” Nature Plants. 4(6): 358-364 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0151-8

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.

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 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.

A review of 66 studies on the built environment and quality of life at residential health care centers found that nature-based design features like outdoor gardens provide a variety of positive outcomes for...

Joseph, Anjali, Young-Seon Choi, and Xiaobo Quan. “Impact of the Physical Environment of Residential Health, Care and Support Facilities (RHCSF) on Staff and Residents:  A Systematic Review of the Literature.” Environment and Behavior, 48.10 (December 2016) 1203-1241.

A study of tree cover in and around the California residences of 7,910 participants suggests that increased tree cover in a neighborhood is related to better overall health, particularly lower rates of obesity and...

Ulmer, Jared M, Kathleen L. Wolf, Desiree R. Backman, Raymond L. Tretheway, Cynthia JA Blain, Jarlath PM O’Neil-Dunne, and Lawrence D. Frank. (November 2016). Multiple health benefits of urban tree canopy: The mounting evidence for a green prescription. Health & Place 42: 54-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2016.08.011

In a Berlin study, home window views that afforded a higher percentage of vegetation as well as a higher diversity of plant material were connected to lower stress levels in residents, as indicated by lower hair...

Honold, Jasmin, Tobia Lakes, Reinhard Beyer, and Elke van der Meer. “Restoration in urban spaces: Nature views from home, greenways, and public parks.” Environment and Behavior, 48.6 (2016): 796-825.