Research links green space quality and proximity to mental health

The benefits of green space for mental health are more closely tied to its quality and proximity than its quantity and accessibility, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Southampton and Kingston University looked at self-reported mental health data before and after moving house and compared this to various attributes of local green spaces.

The study, published in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal, found that better mental health was best associated with greater bird species richness in local green spaces (an indicator of green space quality) as well as the proximity of local green space.

There was a weaker connection between mental health and the quantity and access to local green space, which is notable as the government places a lot of emphasis on increasing access for households in England.

Scientists have successfully established a link between urban green space and mental wellbeing in recent decades but the role of various green space characteristics remains largely unexplained.

This study begins to answer that question and promises to help to inform more effective urban planning, but it may also provide transferable lessons for design and build landscapers when mental health is an important consideration for the client.