Urban Green Spaces

This book crosses disciplinary boundaries to investigate how the benefits of green spaces can be further incorporated in public health. In this regard, the book highlights how ecosystem services provided by green spaces affect multiple aspects of human health and well-being, offering a strategic way to conceptualize the topic. 

For centuries, scholars have observed the range of health benefits associated with exposure to nature. As people continue to move to urban areas, it is essential to include green spaces in cities to ensure sustained human health and well-being. Such insights can not only advance the science but also spark interdisciplinary research and help researchers creatively translate their findings into benefits for the public. The book explores this topic in the context of ‘big picture’ frameworks that enhance communication between the environmental, public health, and social sciences.

• Green Spaces in Cities
• Urban Well-Being
• Ecosystem Services
• Public Health in Cities
• Urban Sustainability
• urban geography and urbanism

“Although it is a short book dedicated to the United States, its findings can be useful for other countries facing growth in their urban populations. … The audience to whom this book is addressed includes researchers, students, and built environment practitioners, comprising urban planners, designers, public health professionals, and parks and recreation managers. … The text is easy to read and is illustrated with maps, tables, schemes, and photos from different cities.” (Gabriel Camara, Journal of the American Planning Association, November 24, 2021)

• Integrating Human and Natural Systems, US Forest Service, Athens, USA

  Viniece Jennings

• Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, USA

  Matthew H. E. M. Browning

• Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois, Urban–Champaign, USA

  Alessandro Rigolon