Accessibility of Urban Greenspace and Its Impact on Health

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2019As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, there is a growing need to better understand the role nature plays in our well-being. A review of the current literature suggests a myriad of potential health benefits can arise from nature contact including reduced stress, increased life-satisfaction, reduced obesity, and greater social connectedness, to name a few. With the evidence continuing to mount, cities and organizations are increasingly looking for ways to improve access to natural spaces for urban residents. In order to help guide this process, I conducted three studies assessing the health benefits of urban greenspace and its accessibility in the Pacific Northwest. The first study is a health assessment of an urban greening project conducted for the City of Bellevue. Working alongside city officials, I designed and implemented a neighborhood survey to identify what benefits arose in the community as a result of the greening project. I found that the project not only made the area feel safer for a majority of residents, but also increased the walkability of the neighborhood and helped to foster a greater sense of community. To determine whether these benefits were distributed equally throughout the neighborhood, I conducted a secondary analysis looking at residents’ proximity to the project site, age, and gender. While proximity to the site had no effect on perceived benefit of the project, my analysis found that females felt the neighborhood was now safer as a result of the project compared to males, and that residents aged 18-44 felt the project resulted in a greater sense of community than older residents. These findings have been compiled into a report for the City of Bellevue and will serve to help guide future neighborhood assessments moving forward. The second study is a qualitative investigation conducted for Seattle Parks and Recreation to better understand what barriers are preventing residents of Seattle from spending more time in city-managed natural spaces. Through interviews with community leaders, I identified a wide range of barriers and concerns which can be categorized into four main themes: physical access, safety, political process, and engagement. At the request of city officials, I also crafted a number of community-driven recommendations as to how best overcome these barriers. These findings have been drafted into a report and shared with Seattle Parks and Recreation to aid their strategic planning moving forward. This report was also made available to each of the community partners with whom I spoke. The final study is an experiment investigating what benefits arise from nature contact in children diagnosed with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder. In partnership with the University of Washington Autism Center, I evaluated children’s psychological well-being and feelings towards nature after spending time in both natural and non-natural environments over the course of four weeks. By utilizing a cross-over design, each participant was able to experience each of our environmental treatments over the course of the study. The analysis utilized a multi-level model, however it failed to identify significant differences across any of our environmental treatments. This study had a number of important limitations that may have influenced our findings which are discussed in detail in the paper. Moving forward, it is my recommendation that future researchers replicate this study within a more controlled experimental design. This body of work contributes to the nature and health literature by providing some of the first community specific case-studies assessing nature contact and health in this region. Each of these studies benefited greatly from individuals and organizations that I worked alongside and showcase the potential for strong partnerships available in the Pacific Northwest around nature contact and health. It is my hope that the methods and results of these studies will guide both urban planning decisions and additional research moving forward