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.

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.