Health benefits from access to nature are well known and increasingly cited as a supporting argument for the conservation of biodiversity, particularly in cities. However, calculating the benefits from access to nature in economic terms is challenging due to a lack of data linking benefits, number of beneficiaries, and monetary values. This study used mobile phone ‘ping’ data to estimate the use of

Assessing the perception of urban parks and understanding the relationship between environmental characteristics and conflicts in park usage are crucial for the design and management of urban parks. However, quantifying perceptions of parks in large spaces poses challenges, and different regional cultures also exhibit variations in park usage. Therefore, this study aims to explore from a cross-cultural

The positive impacts of urban greenery on human health and wellbeing are well documented in scholarly literature. The focus has mostly been on residential greenery or availability and access to recreational green spaces. The importance of greenery in travel environments has received much less attention. Furthermore, little consideration has been given to temporal dynamics, although research suggests

Forested green spaces in urban and peri-urban areas are expected to serve multiple roles, including providing ecosystem services and maintaining species diversity and soil health, both of which are particularly important for human health. However, soil compaction is a major cause of soil degradation in urban areas and brownfields (abandoned, previously developed land). We examined the effects of compaction

The rising incidence of extreme heat in urban areas poses challenges to urban living, affecting thermal comfort and public health. Public green spaces (PGS), such as parks, play a crucial role in mitigating heat and acting as 'cooling oases' that enhance visitors' thermal comfort and offer various other ecosystem services. Despite their importance, the specific role of thermal comfort in motivating

Habitat loss, fragmentation and land-use change caused by the continued expansion of human settlements pose a threat to global biodiversity. Residential green spaces (RGs) are widespread throughout urban areas, providing benefits to human health and well-being and opportunities to conserve biodiversity. While RGs are fragmented by buildings and frequent human activities, little is known about their

Urban trees are important for adapting to climate change; however, the absence of fine-grained data describing the distribution of urban tree crown cover and carbon stocks hinders recognition of the contribution of urban systems to climate change mitigation. Here, we present an approach for extracting fine-grained tree crown cover by coupling the Segment Anything Model and vegetation indices using

Effective sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere is essential to combating climate change. Many cities have set ambitious carbon neutrality goals, highlighting the significance of urban vegetation as a carbon sink. Integrating urban vegetation into the urban form involves a multi-stage decision-making process, with planning and design playing a key role in the determination of space allocation

Climate change has intensified the urban heat island effect and increased extreme weather conditions, posing risks to public health and urban vegetation. To address these challenges, selecting climate-ready urban plant species is crucial. Traditional climate niche-based methods often fall short in urban contexts due to neglecting anthropogenic factors. Our study addresses this research gap by introducing

Urban street trees bring the beautiful ecological environment for human beings, but also may harm human health. Tree pollen is an important allergen that causes people to suffer from asthma and rhinitis, causing a serious medical burden. In order to protect human health and reduce medical costs, urban street trees need to be accurately identified. However, the identification of the urban street tree

Low-maintenance extensive green roofs hold the potential for adapting to climate change, but there is a limited understanding of their effective design in humid subtropical regions. In this study, we aimed to investigate low-maintenance green roof ecosystems capable of thriving under heat stress. Plant growth performance was evaluated in the second year of an experimental green roof in southwest China

The compensation hypothesis postulates that the absence of green spaces in residential areas leads to a greater use of public green spaces and nature in general. This paper tests this hypothesis by focusing on the use of public and private urban green spaces. A holistic approach is adopted that considers the complexity of residential context and the use of urban, peripheral and private green spaces

Spending time outdoors may bolster mental health via relaxation and physical activity. Yet, most studies use self-report and involve majority White samples from higher income areas. Findings may not hold true using device-derived measurement, among minoritized participants, or in low-income neighborhoods. Our objectives were to test whether: i) time spent outdoors in physical activity is associated

Urban planners and urban forestry researchers use various methods to evaluate how well different populations access the benefits of parks, often by assessing park distribution in relation to the social and economic conditions of surrounding neighbourhoods. However, without precise visitation data, it remains unclear whether proximity to parks translates into actual use. This study analyses the social

Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) and related flows of benefits – heavily influencing societal and individual health and wellbeing - are usually ascribed non-consumptive values. However, despite the increasing recognition of their contribution to citizens’ quality of life, the intangible nature of CES makes it difficult to quantify them and hard to be integrated in decision making and planning processes

Public urban parks contribute fundamentally to social and ecological functioning of modern cities, and enhance human wellbeing through associated ecosystem services, including cultural ecosystem services (CES). This study was conducted to understand how components of interactional justice contribute to users’ perceptions of how well CES are provided in public parks. This paper therefore explores the

Urbanisation has impaired the capacity of urban rivers to provide ecosystem services. In the last decades, many river restoration projects have been carried out worldwide with the objective of recovering ecological integrity and the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services. In this paper we analyse the impact of the renaturalisation of the Manzanares river in Madrid, Spain, in the attractiveness

Green spaces in cities are thought to play an important role in maintaining urban biodiversity. However, it is difficult to create large new areas of green space in big cities. Therefore, existing green spaces need to be conserved and properly managed to conserve urban biodiversity. In big Japanese cities, sacred sites such as shrines, temples, and historic parks are some of the common types of green

Stress is a prevalent issue in modern cities, exacerbated by urban development and significantly affecting urban dwellers. While it is known that greenery can contribute to people’s wellbeing, it is unclear if it can mitigate the negative effects of urban development. In this study, we aim to explore the intricate dynamics between urban form and greenery to dissect their collective effect on human

Urban rewilding initiatives are gaining traction in cities, yet little remains known about the spatial opportunities for transitioning greenspaces into rewilding sites. This paper advances a process-oriented framing of urban wild nature areas (WNAs) and proposes a novel methodological approach for mapping existing WNAs at the city-scale, thereby shedding light on the potentials for urban rewilding

Urban fires that result from wildfires are an emerging, extreme event affecting communities and urban forests globally. However, much of the fire effects on urban ecosystems literature is primarily focused on Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas, correlates of building loss, risk mitigation, and wildland vegetation and fuels. Three recent urban fires in California USA provided an opportunity to explore

Pocket parks have become a popular intervention for improving urban residents’ quality of life. Although previous studies have investigated how park attributes contribute to user satisfaction, most assume that they have a (generalized) linear relationship. The assumption may understate the importance of parking attributes that are nonlinearly associated with park satisfaction and misestimate the effects

Shading is the most critical process in tree cooling. Although the influence of tree features on shade supply has been extensively studied, the efficiency of shade performance in diverse environments remains poorly understood. The latter is crucial, as urban areas are highly heterogeneous, and local microclimates and land cover heterogeneity are among the most perceptible and observable aspects. We

The green infrastructure (GI) network, an important nature-based solution (NBS) strategy, is pivotal for sustainable urban development. However, current research perspectives focus on constructing a static GI network, and research on evaluating and protecting GI networks in the context of spatiotemporal changes has been limited. This research aims to comprehensively characterise the spatio-temporal

Studies dealing with services and benefits of urban green space are overrepresented compared to those addressing disservices, perceived constraints and other negative perceptions. Even when focusing on disservices and perceived constraints, the studies often take into account only a limited number of reasons for the negative perception. In this study we conducted a series of focus group interviews

Urban greenspaces are critical for maintaining biodiversity and people’s connection to nature. Schools are distributed throughout cities and have the potential to provide for and enhance native biodiversity, while facilitating positive relationships between children and nature. However, very little is known about greenspaces on school grounds, particularly their ecological condition. We evaluated the

Though much evidence demonstrates the benefits of urban green spaces (UGS) for mental health, it remains uncertain if a greener living environment necessarily leads to better mental health. This study makes up this gap by exploring the potential non-linear effects of UGS provision (availability, accessibility, visibility, quality) and utilization (frequency, duration) on mental health, focusing on

Urban greenery plays a pivotal role in urban environments, impacting the environmental well-being and people’s comfort. Several studies have demonstrated a strong link between urban greenery and socioeconomic status but still lack an analysis of greenery on uneven distribution in social vulnerability. This study assesses how multi-level greenery rates distribute and associate the social vulnerability

Urban street trees improve urban life quality, but their root systems can conflict with infrastructure, especially in densely populated areas. Guangzhou—one of the world’s most densely populated cities—experiences significant challenges related to street tree root-damage, which impacts urban infrastructure and public safety. This study examined factors affecting root-damage in 1227 street trees in

Understanding the relationship between 2D and 3D green indices holds significant implications for governance, especially amid the escalating demand for urban green spaces during rapid urbanization. However, the existing studies reveal inconsistent results pertaining to the relationships between 2D and 3D green indices and lack a systematic examination of spatial attributes' influence on the relationships

Extreme heat is Australia’s most perilous natural hazard, and increasing urban temperatures due to climate change are a growing concern. Consequently, there is growing interest in developing nature-based solutions (i.e., greenery and vegetated surfaces) to cool urban areas. Appropriately designed urban parks are anticipated to be crucial for maintaining thermal comfort as temperatures rise. The two

Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with a growing need for effective rehabilitation strategies. Forest therapy, involving structured activities in natural environments, has shown significant beneficial effects in various health-related outcomes but no studies have assessed its direct effect on functional recovery after acute ischemic stroke. We assessed whether forest therapy is effective

Pathways of association between green space (GS) exposure and respiratory health continue stimulating scholars' research interest. However, the mechanisms underlying the multidimensional association between GS exposure and respiratory health remain to be clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to construct a research framework for exploring the mechanisms affecting the hypothesized pathways (physical

Urban trees are of high importance for healthy urban ecosystems. However, some trees are invasive plants that may ‘escape’ from urban areas into natural environments. Furthermore, invasive forest pests often arrive and establish in urban environments before they spread to forest ecosystems. Therefore, knowledge of tree species composition in urban areas is important for the biosecurity of cities and

Many cities worldwide have adopted management strategies for urban forests, typically focusing on forest parks, street trees and park trees. However, planning that concentrates on natural urban forest areas remains scarce. This study introduces an advanced planning framework for the integrative management of natural urban forests and applies it to Ljubljana's urban forests (2151 ha). The framework

Urban nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly embraced by academics and practitioners for their ability to contribute to sustainability by addressing various urban challenges such as air quality, urban heat stress, urban flood mitigation, biodiversity loss, and social cohesion. Research in the literature places a significant focus on the identification of synergies and win-win scenarios of urban

Urbanisation changes natural ecosystems and vegetation to urban green spaces, and causes insect communities to experience novel challenges for survival. New evidence suggests that urban green spaces, no matter how small, can provide meaningful habitats for insects. Information on design and management of small gardens (<6 m2) in dense urban areas is still scarce. In particular, it is hardly known which

Vegetated infiltration systems such as raingardens and bioswales are challenging for plant growth and survival due to fluctuating hydrological conditions and further subsequent stresses.

Infiltration swales are considered an essential and multifunctional component of water-sensitive urban design. To maintain their functionality, a robust planting is required. However, species selection poses a major challenge due to the extreme site conditions. To identify stress-resistant species, container experiments with 60 perennial species native to Germany were used to investigate their performance

Urban trees contribute substantially to numerous ecosystem services. Here we quantify the threat to carbon stored by urban trees from increased heat and drought arising from climate change. We use data from tree inventories in 22 European cities, spread across five Köppen-Geiger climatic zones, that record ∼1.2 million trees from 188 species. We calculate species’ climatic niches using global tree

Street trees provide ecological and social benefits that sustain urban life, yet their distribution frequently mirrors socioeconomic inequalities, meaning underprivileged social groups also have fewer trees. The distribution patterns of urban trees are least documented in the cities of rapidly evolving middle-income countries. We assessed whether street tree abundance, size, condition, diversity, and

The phenomenon of the urban heat island effect requires urban planning adaptation strategies that mitigate heat stress. While the cooling effect of urban green spaces has been well studied, knowledge gaps remain regarding the cooling potential of urban blue spaces. Particularly, how the cooling intensity of an urban blue space is influenced by its features and the context in which it occurs, such as

Green roofs (GR) are nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in buildings and cities. However, few GR maintenance, installation, and challenge-solving guidelines are available for semiarid climates. We present how three case-study types of GR (urban gardens (UGR), native gardens (NGR), and wetland roofs (WR)) varied in installation costs, irrigation volumes, maintenance

In urban forestry, managing trees is crucial for sustainable urban environments, especially in the context of climate change and the urban heat island effect. This research explores the complex dynamics of tree crown geometry development by asking the question: how do surrounding objects, such as nearby trees, buildings, and other urban structures, affect the shape of tree crowns? It aims to uncover

Big data has garnered substantial attention from urban researchers and policymakers, offering new perspectives for assessing the urban environment and supplementing traditional datasets. The increasing number of studies analyzing urban green space (UGS) topics using multiple sources of big data necessitates an in-depth review to guide future research. Existing reviews often narrow their focus to a

One common measure to mitigate the impacts of rising temperatures within cities is increasing the amount of vegetation, especially urban trees and their canopies. To maximize the associated benefits of urban trees in a given city or neighborhood, it is important that the canopy of newly planted trees matches or exceeds the canopy of the trees that are lost. However, cities often use cross-sectional

UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., Goal 16) have highlighted the importance of using policy tools (e.g., through urban planning) to prevent crimes. Existing evidence of the association between green space and crime is mixed. Some studies indicate that the inconsistencies may be due to the variance in types of vegetation and the rates of crime reported across regions and countries. This study aims

Exceptional trees have been recognized and valued for centuries based on the unique traits they represent. Programs exist worldwide to protect these keystone specimens, with many facing challenges that reduce their efficacy as a conservation strategy. This study examines the weaknesses and desired improvements of Hawai‘i’s Exceptional Tree Program based on the lived experiences of exceptional tree

Urban agriculture is acknowledged as a multifunctional integrated concept capable of delivering various ecosystem services. Design-related empirical research which is regarded as crucial for introducing and exploring the transformation of design knowledge and practice. Despite the growing body of scientific evidence, operational guidelines for this topic are relatively scarce. The primary step in promoting

The human perception of environments is a complex mechanism, influenced not only by visual and auditory stimuli and their perceptual outcomes, but also by personal characteristics, site types, and other factors that affect people's restorative experiences. However, there is little research that treats it as a complete systemic phenomenon to reveal its integrated impact. We surveyed 1161 visitors in

Biofiltration systems can fail over time due to clogging by fine sediments in stormwater. Infiltration can be maintained by plant roots, but species selection for biofiltration to date has largely been driven by pollutant removal efficiency and tolerance of conditions. As a result, plant species diversity in biofilters is typically low and dominated by sedges and rushes. Increased use of woody species

The relationship between habitat heterogeneity and diversity can underpin design of urban spaces for biodiversity conservation. The area-heterogeneity trade-off hypothesis predicts that higher habitat heterogeneity should result in an increase in species richness but only up to a point, beyond which habitat micro-fragmentation leads to decreases in species diversity. However, the strength of area-heterogeneity

Audio-visual interactions play a crucial role in environmental perception. Incongruent audio-visual environments, although prominent in the urban fabric, have been underlit in research. Contrasting exposures to visually natural environments combined with urban sounds, as well as the reverse scenario of visually urban environments with natural sounds, are explored for their restorative potential, both

In recent years, the frequency of extreme high-temperature events has gradually increased. To better understand the impact of urban green space coverage's spatial pattern on land surface temperature (LST), this study selected three sample areas along the urban-rural gradient in Shanghai. Using LST inversion and resampling methods, LST data for different grid sizes were obtained for spring, summer,

Atmospheric pollution threatens human health worldwide, with tropospheric ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM) among the most harmful pollutants. Urban trees can reduce the concentration of air pollutants through dry deposition on their canopies and stomatal uptake. At the same time, urban trees can deteriorate air quality by emitting aerosol- and O3 precursors in the form of biogenic volatile organic

Green roofs (GRs) are vital for shaping the material cycles of urban ecosystems as a form of distributed green infrastructure. However, current studies have predominantly focused on the material exchange between GRs and the urban environment, neglecting the internal distribution and equilibrium of constituent elements. By monitoring carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in Sedum lineare Thunb

Increasing heat in urban environments has recently become one of the most dangerous climate hazards due to its adverse impacts on urban populations. Implementing street-level trees could be an effective strategy to mitigate pedestrian heat exposure, particularly due to their ability to block incoming solar radiation. In this study, the PALM model system was applied to simulate the effects of a tree

Historic gardens are conceptualized within various cultural and legal frameworks. This research aims to unravel the complexities of the historic garden identity through the lens of international regulations, national laws, and scientific literature to reveal differences in the perception of their botanical elements. We employed a combined analytical approach, using recommendations from related international

Public perceptions of urban green space (UGS) qualities affect people’s decisions to go to such spaces. Although the multidimensional characteristics of public perceptions towards UGSs are widely recognised, they are context-dependent, and the internal structure of these attributes remains unclear. This research aims to explore the multidimensional attributes of the perceived qualities of UGSs in the