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Breathing Life: The Healing Power of Urban Trees on Human Health
Breathing Life: The Healing Power of Urban Trees on Human Health is a Dayhouse Living Issue 1 article from Dayhouse Studio on how urban trees support wellbeing — mental health, stress recovery, and heart health. Complementary to medical care, not a substitute. Based in Salt Lake City, we share science-backed ideas for greener neighborhoods.
“Just being surrounded by bountiful nature rejuvenates and inspires us.”
- Edward Wilson
Edward Wilson’s quote takes on a deeper meaning when it comes to enjoying the presence of trees during hot summers. Trees are strikingly beautiful and provide a much-needed respite from a summer sun, but, even beyond their aesthetics and shade, trees can support our health.
Urban trees in particular can be overlooked and underappreciated. The power of a plant is no clearer than these health benefits that “Urban Trees and Human Health; A Scoping Review” reveals from the city trees living among concrete walls [1].
Did you know that 68% of Oslo, the capital of Norway, is covered in greenery, and that 95% of this city's inhabitants live within 300 m (330 yards) of the nearest park or other public green space?
We often take urban trees for granted without deeper appreciation of the health benefits they provide. Research studies show that city trees can:
1. Improve mental health, anxiety and mood
2. Reduce psychophysiological stress
3. Improve cardiovascular functions such as blood pressure and heart rate
4. Improve the immune system
5. Help to restore cognition and attention
6. Reduce air pollution
In this review, the researchers from the US and Canada listed such interesting findings, as: (1) “lower prevalence of lung cancer associated with green space covered with trees within residential areas” (2) “lower prevalence of asthma among children associated with greater street tree density and reduced asthma hospitalization associated with tree density during periods with high ambient pollutant concentrations”. [1]
The researchers from the University of Cambridge showed that people living in greener neighborhoods were at lower risk for developing cardiovascular diseases [2], while another study from California Polytechnic State University suggested that greater biodiversity in urban forests is associated with a reduced risk of death from heart diseases and stroke [3]. Indeed, green spaces in cities can increase longevity by reducing premature death [4,5].
Trees are being recognized by city planners as important elements when creating new and transforming older neighborhoods. Have you heard about the 3-30-300 Green Space Rule to promote green and healthy cities? Number “3” stands for at least 3 trees that residents should see from their homes or workplaces. Number “30” stands for 30% of the tree canopy coverage in biophilic neighborhoods. And “300” means a distance of 300m to the nearest public green space [6]. This rule was developed by a Dutch specialist in urban forestry Cecil Konnijnendijk, a co-founder of Nature Based Solutions Institute.
The type of greenery is also important. In a study from Boston University, the researchers showed that urban trees contribute more to cooling summer temperatures as compared to grass cover [4]. So how big are the cooling effects of trees in a city? Some studies report a drop in temperature by up to 1oC (1.8 F) within 10m (11 yards) when tree canopy increases from 0 to 100% [7,8].
In addition to health benefits, nearby trees can also offer economic benefits. Findings from a recent study show that “increasing tree canopy cover on property and neighborhood level, forest size, type, greenness, and proximity to urban forests increased housing prices” [9]. Implementing trees into your home, neighborhood, and wider community has an added benefit of public safety, since urban green spaces have a positive impact on crime and violence [10].
In conclusion, the question of how we can support wellbeing in our homes and neighborhoods has an evidence-based response — complementary to medical care, not a substitute: “Trees are the answer” (Dr. Patrick Moore).
Biophilic Question for YOU: Did you know that the first Arbor Day was celebrated in the United States on April 10th, 1872?
Biophilic Insight for YOU: If you wish to learn about the quantity and quality of nature nearby your home, visit the NatureScore® website from NatureQuant, an evidence-based online resource to explore nature-health connections in the US neighborhoods. []
SOURCES:
[1]. Wolf et al, (2020) Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124371
[2]. Dalton and Jones (2020) Residential neighbourhood greenspace is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease: A prospective cohort study. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0226524. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226524
[3]. Giacinto et al (2021) Urban forest biodiversity and cardiovascular disease: Potential health benefits from California’s street trees. PLoS ONE 16(11): e0254973. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254973
[4]. Barboza et al (2021) Green space and mortality in European cities: a health impact assessment study. Lancet Planet Health. 5(10):e718-e730. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00229-1
[5]. C. Bertrand et al (2021) Do we know enough to quantify the impact of urban green spaces on mortality? An analysis of the current knowledge, Public Health, Volume 200, Pages 91-98,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.09.015.
[6]. Konijnendijk CC (2023) Evidence-based guidelines for greener, healthier, more resilient neighbourhoods: Introducing the 3–30–300 rule. J. For. Res. 34, 821–830 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-022-01523-z
[7]. Smith at al (2023) Urban green space and albedo impacts on surface temperature across seven United States cities, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 857, 159663, doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159663.
[8]. Ettinger et al (2024) Street trees provide an opportunity to mitigate urban heat and reduce risk of high heat exposure. Sci Rep 14, 3266. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51921-y
[9]. Ewane et al (2023) Influence of urban forests on residential property values: A systematic review of remote sensing-based studies, Heliyon, Volume 9, Issue 10,e20408,
doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20408.
[10]. Shepley et al, (2019) The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 16, 5119. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245119
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Dayhouse Studio · Salt Lake City, UT
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