Why are green areas so important?

The World Health Organization says that there should be 9 m² of green areas per inhabitant. Some studies show the poor distribution of green spaces in our cities as a symbol of inequity. Every time the government announces that a new park will be built, the news is widely spread and celebrated.

Many choose to live in a house in the suburbs - despite having to spend a considerable percentage of time traveling to get to work - with the excuse that it is the way they can have a large garden in their own home. And the most sought-after apartments in the city are always close to a square or a park.

All of the above may seem quite familiar to us, but why are green areas so important in cities?

Green areas help you to be happier

The newspaper La Tercera published not long ago a study from the University of Exeter, in England, which states that living near a green area produces sustained mental satisfaction over time, even greater than getting a raise in salary or job satisfaction.

The study authors also say that having green areas available helps avoid mental problems such as depression, job stress, or anxiety.

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Playing in green areas reduces anxiety in children

A study by the Landscape and Mental Health Laboratory of the University of Illinois, in the United States, says that children who play in green areas are less likely to have Attention Deficit or be Hyperactive and that being near trees and plants is a great help in treating children with these diagnoses.

The less green the more crime

According to a study published in 2001 in Chicago by Kuo, FE & Sullivan, people who live in buildings that are surrounded by trees and vegetation are less likely to be victims of crime than those who live in buildings with the same characteristics, but who they are surrounded by places without vegetation.

In fact, compared to buildings that had little or no vegetation, buildings with high levels of green had 48 percent fewer property crimes and 56 percent fewer violent crimes. Even small amounts of vegetation were associated with lower crime rates.

Green reduces crime through various mechanisms, the study says. First of all, vegetation helps people to relax and be less aggressive. Second, green spaces bring people closer to the outdoors, so there are more people in these spaces and therefore there is more surveillance.

In addition, the existence of vegetation would be a signal for criminals that the owners of these houses or buildings are more organized among themselves in the event of a robbery.

Could hugging trees improve your health?

This is what Matthew Silverstone says in his book Blinded by Science, with which he intends to scientifically prove through hard data, statistics, and facts that the vibration of trees and plants can help us improve our levels of concentration, reaction time, depression and even to relieve headaches.

Whether we believe what Silverstone claims or not and without knowing any of the previous studies, we are all clear that we want to live in greener cities. Does anyone have any doubt that being close to nature is good for us?

If green areas generate well-being and happiness, the 9 square meters recommended by the WHO make even more sense, and the studies that talk about the inequity of green areas in our cities are no longer just numbers and they mean that we have sectors of the city ​​where people have less right to be happy.

Article source: https://article-realm.com/article/Sports-Recreation/9064-Why-are-green-areas-so-important.html