Urban Green and Blue Spaces and Child Health
Context
Recent research highlighting the relationship between declining urban vegetation, shrinking water bodies and adverse child health outcomes has brought the health benefits of green and blue infrastructure into focus.
Urban trees, parks, rivers and ponds help regulate temperatures, reduce pollution and alleviate psychological stress. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating ecological considerations into urban planning. However, statistical associations should not be considered conclusive evidence of a direct causal relationship.
Key Highlights
- Green spaces comprise urban trees and parks, while blue spaces include accessible water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and canals.
- Research examining the fragmentation of urban tree canopies across low and middle income settings has identified associations with indicators of child mortality.
- The loss of tree canopy cover can increase exposure to extreme heat and limit the availability of safe spaces for physical activities and social interaction.
- The health and environmental benefits of green and blue spaces depend on equitable accessibility, proper maintenance, water quality and surrounding neighbourhood conditions.
Key Concepts
- Urban Heat Island Effect: A phenomenon in which urban areas experience higher temperatures due to built surfaces, inadequate vegetation and heat generated by human activities.
- Nature Based Solutions: Approaches that utilise natural ecosystems, including urban forests and wetlands, to address environmental and societal challenges.
- Under Five Mortality: The number of deaths among children before reaching five years of age, generally expressed per 1,000 live births. It is influenced by several health-related and socio economic factors.
Way Forward
- Protect and increase connected urban tree cover, with particular attention to low income neighbourhoods.
- Incorporate the restoration of water bodies, effective drainage systems and safe public access into urban development plans.
- Monitor environmental exposure and health outcomes together while ensuring that statistical associations are not overstated as evidence of causation.