Fast Fact Library

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.

Tree species differ in their ability to reduce air and surface temperatures and increase relative humidity. Trees with a high leaf-area density and rate of transpiration are more effective at cooling air...

Gillner, Sten, Juliane Vogt, Andreas Tharang, Sebastian Dettmann, and Andreas Roloff. (2015). Role of street trees in mitigating effects of heat and drought at highly sealed urban sites. Landscape and Urban Planning, 143, 33-42.

In this study of New York City streetscapes, trees made people feel safer than building-related variables, and tall, narrow streetscapes made people feel safer than short, wide streetscapes. More buildings per...

Harvey, Chester, Lisa Aultman-Hall, Stephanie E. Hurley, and Austin Troy. (2015). Effects of skeletal streetscape design on perceived safety. Landscape and Urban Planning, 142, 18-28.

A study in Toronto, Canada found that having 10 more street trees on a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a...

Kardan, Omid, Peter Gozdyra, Bratislav Misic, Faisal Moola, Lyle J. Palmer, Tomáš Paus, and Marc G. Berman. (2015). Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center. Scientific Reports, 5.

In a review of 30 published health impact assessments on the costs and benefits associated with walking and cycling for transportation, substantial health benefits were found with a shift to active transportation...

Mueller, Natalie, David Rojas-Rueda, Tom Cole-Hunter, Audrey de Nazelle, Evi Dons, Regine Gerike, Thomas Götschi, Luc Int Panis, Sonja Kahlmeier, and Mark Nieuwenhuijsen. (2015). Health impact assessment of active transportation: a systematic review. Preventive medicine, 76, 103-114.

Stream daylighting can increase watershed-scale nitrogen retention. Nitrate travels on average 18 times farther downstream in buried streams than in open ones before being removed from the water column. Burial...

Beaulieu, Jake J., Heather E. Golden, Christopher D. Knightes, Paul M. Mayer, Sujay S. Kaushal, Michael J. Pennino, Clay P. Arango et al. (2015). Urban Stream Burial Increases Watershed-Scale Nitrate Export. PLOS ONE, 10(7), e0132256.

Green spaces, particularly around schools, improve cognitive development in children 7-10 years old. In a Barcelona study, reduced exposure to elemental carbon (a traffic-related air pollutant) associated with green...

Dadvand, Payam, Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen, Mikel Esnaola, Joan Forns, Xavier Basagaña, Mar Alvarez-Pedrerol, Ioar Rivas, Mónica López-Vicente, Montserrat De Castro Pascual, Jason Su, Michael Jerrett, Xavier Querol, and Jordi Sunyer. (2015). Green spaces and cognitive development in primary schoolchildren. PNAS, published ahead of print June 15, 2015, doi:10.1073/pnas.1503402112

Trees in bioswales reduce runoff and discharge and return stored water to the atmosphere. Transpiration from trees in bioswales at The Morton Arboretum parking lot in Illinois accounted for 46-72% of the lot’s total...

Scharenbroch, Bryant C., Justin Morgenroth, and Brian Maule. (2015). Tree Species Suitability to Bioswales and Impact on the Urban Water Budget. Journal of Environmental Quality.

Environments supportive of risky (challenging and exciting) outdoor play promoted increased play time, physical activity, social interactions, creativity, and resilience among children. The overall positive health...

Brussoni, Mariana, Rebecca Gibbons, Casey Gray, Takuro Ishikawa, Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Adam Bienenstock, Guylaine Chabot et al. (2015). What is the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children? A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(6), 6423-6454.