From greening to wellbeing: Multi-scale analysis of green infrastructure and mental health at population level within the UKProject

This project will focus on testing the co-benefits of green infrastructure and nature-based interventions on mental health and human wellbeing at different scales in the UK and expand to the Global South. The overall aim is to provide evidence through a multi-scale analysis of green infrastructure and mental health, encompassing national (macro), regional (meso), and local (micro) perspectives at population level within the UK.

From the national level, the project will start by quantifying how much green space is needed to provide justified mental health benefits, as well as determining the format in which those benefits should be. To answer this question, the first study is an assessment of the mental health impact of an urban forestry rule: the 3-30-300 on population mental health outcomes. The 3-30-300 rule sets guidelines for cities to ensure fair access to nature. It suggests that people should be able to see three trees from their home, have a neighbourhood with 30% tree coverage, and be within 300 meters of a green space. The project plans to test whether the different components of these three rules make a difference in mental health outcomes and if tree canopy density might have a threshold in impacting resident’s mental health.

Following that, the project will test whether different types of green infrastructure might have different impacts on mental health and how the relationship differs when looking at self-reported mental health and wellbeing status versus NHS diagnosis records. The second study is designed as a spatial-temporal disparity in the relationship between different types of green space and objective mental health outcomes, considering urban, peri-urban, and rural contexts and socio-economic factors. The study will employ longitudinal data of mental health outcomes, alongside green space indicators such as grassland, woodland, trees, and water bodies. The aim is to identify how green space type, quality, and accessibility impact mental health and whether these effects vary across socio-economic groups and geographic settings.

On the regional level, the third study will investigate spatial and social disparities of school greenness and the impact on physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents. This study will explore the impact of school greenness on the physical activity, mental health, and overall well-being of children and adolescents in Liverpool and Oxfordshire, UK. Using longitudinal survey data, the study will examine spatial and socio-economic disparities in school greenness and their associations with health and well-being outcomes. The research aims to provide actionable insights for improving school environments and informing urban planning and environmental policies that promote healthier, more equitable settings for young people.

The national and regional findings from the initial research plan will then lead to the next stage of the project, which will focus on a local case study of the co-benefits of green infrastructure.

Wendee is a postdoctoral researcher in the Health and Wellbeing theme at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and Flourishing and Wellbeing Theme of the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.