Greening urban spaces 🌳

A study in Japan found that creating pockets of green in cities could encourage people to spend more time in nature.

January 16, 2025

Feature of the week

How can city-dwellers stay connected to nature? 🌳

Does encountering green spaces in your daily routine to work or school influence your tendency to spend more time in nature? According to a team of researchers from Japan 🇯🇵, yes it does.

Surveying 3,500 residents in Tokyo-Yokohama and Osaka-Kobe, the researchers found that spots of nature near locations frequented in people’s daily lives—residential areas, shopping zones, commuting destinations—can facilitate more time spent visiting green spaces. Additionally, the researchers identified that the perimeter of certain land types can affect a resident’s tendency to visit green spaces.

The team hopes their findings can encourage policymakers to prioritize green spaces in urban planning and contribute to the broader research on improving accessibility to the natural environment.

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