Green in Urban areas

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Human beings and nature with its wilderness have been coexisting for thousands of years. We as humans, learn from our exposure to wildlife and by experiencing nature. Even though urban buildings have  concrete structure with walls, offering a cozy and protected atmosphere, our connection with the wild and nature helps us learn, aid in growing mentally and physically. Environmental psychology asserts that by being with nature and by including a part of wildness and wildlife in urban cities, people will not only have an open mind to experience, learn, and explore, but also improve their mental and physical well-being.
Humans, starting from the Stone Age, created tribes and depended on each other to hunt, protect each other in the wild, and help when in danger. This connection and social cohesion resulted in humans thriving in all parts of the world. Social Capital theory establishes that a successful connection among people is essential for a strong community. Strong connection, harmony, and mutual understanding among family members and in a strong city can result in successful education, goal pursuit, and in achievement. The Social capital theory asserts that having great social relationships is an essential resource for community and urban success. Green spaces in urban environments are enablers and an essential resource for having great social relationships. Building a strong and healthy community lies in the planning of green spaces in urban cities. Urban planning theories propose a set of ideal green spaces and well-maintained conditions to incorporate while designing a town along with the buildings. In rapidly industrialized and metropolitan cities it is important to have good living, and sanitary conditions, with laws to reduce air and land pollution, and recycle waste. Even though cities are busy and somewhat congested in space, urban planning theory urges a remodel to include green spaces such as some wild gardens along with a planned park or garden, space for woods with animals, and traffic congestion regulations to get some tranquility and an individual's well-being. Studies have proven that  incorporating green spaces in urban landscapes has a positive impact on community well-being thereby increasing social cohesion.

Image by Emilian Robert Vicol from Pixabay

Globally more than 65 percent of the population live in urban areas. Urban settlements increase the mental and physical health risk in an individual as there is a lot of congestion, traffic, stress, and pressure to do more in less time. Many urban areas, due to lack of green spaces and increase in population, experience sporadic weather conditions and less hygienic conditions. Many urban dwellers suffer from poor health, depression, and mood swings.
Urban green spaces are planned green spaces in the middle of buildings, city centers, office buildings, schools and hospitals. They can be part of any independent house, flat, or a duplex building as a small park, greenway, or garden. They can also be incorporated in between apartment buildings with an open roof or as a glass dome with a self sustaining environment.  These green spaces offer people to walk, run, and exercise. These can also be places where people can interact with nature, perform group activities together, or simply look to marvel its unique beauty. This exposure relaxes the brain and body and promotes mental/physical well-being of an individual. Moving around in the green and noticing animals in the wild provide relief from stress and help aid in the restoration of a stressed mind. Studies have also shown that engaging in group activities, and chit-chatting aid in strong social cohesion. They also help mitigate air pollution by absorbing and filtering pollutants, and reduce urban heat by creating cool and shade zones. This indicates that the need for broadening urban green spaces are necessary for a strong and improved social cohesion. Despite the benefits of green spaces, evidence suggests a lack of green spaces and minimal distribution in urban areas.  

Image by Squirrel_photos from Pixabay

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Although there is clear evidence of the positive impact of green spaces in urban planning on individual well-being with strong social cohesion, further research and more data with a wider audience are necessary to understand the true potential. More studies need to be conducted exclusively on improving, developing, and maintaining urban green spaces. More research is needed to understand their link to the psychological well-being of the people. Many scholars suggest the use of longitudinal studies and other frameworks to understand the active and passive effects of green space in an urban environment. Longitudinal studies are done through observation and exploration over time. They help analyze the sequence of events happening in the urban city and people's interactions and their overall development over time. These studies and their findings can ascertain and fortify the link between green spaces on people's well-being thereby resulting in a strong urban community. Studies by Hong et al. found a positive relationship between aesthetics and social capital. Studies also found a correlation between pedestrian safety and green spaces. Hence maintenance of green spaces is very important in planning green spaces in urban environments, if not it would adversely affect the well-being of the people living there. Studies need to be developed taking into consideration different situational perspectives of individuals. More data and studies need to focus on social cohesion and its relation to mental well-being. More data needs to be collected on the relationship between mental well-being, crime, incivilities, and disorder. The population in urban areas grow rapidly over a short time that can hamper the studies and the data recordings. The urban density and crowd can adversely affect the limited biodiversity that exists in the cities. Hence, measures need to be taken to preserve biodiversity while incentivizing individuals to move to other areas and thereby limit crowding in the cities. Promoting educational awareness on green spaces, discussions, and social capital can attract people's interest and help increase the knowledge on nature-based health improvement.

References for the blog
 The relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban green spaces by Jennings V. Bamkole.
Underlying relationships between public urban green spaces and social cohesion by Calvin Wan, Stella Choi and Geoffrey Qiping Shen