Examining the Impact of the Greening of Urban Blight on Mental Health: A Rapid Systematic Review

The conditions of an individual’s neighborhood built-environment can have a substantial impact on their health and welfare overall. Urban blight includes the presence of abandoned or poorly maintained properties and is characterized by land overgrowth, trash buildup, and vandalization. Blight can have a major influence on the value of a community and impacts those who work and live nearby. Blighted properties are associated with unhealthy habits as well as increased rates of mental and chronic illness (Garvin, et al., 2013). ‘Greening’ is a trending remediation solution that includes the restoration of blighted or abandoned spaces through periodic land maintenance, disposal of trash, and creation of community gardens and other green spaces. Living near restored and greened spaces are associated with a reduction in levels of stress, anxiety, and depression (South et al., 2018). This understanding supports the notion that restoring blighted properties may lessen the impact of inequitable environmental conditions on an individual’s health. This rapid systematic review includes an analysis of literature outlining the impacts of greening interventions for blight and how they impact the mental health of a community. After examining the literature, findings will be condensed and presented to environmental justice attorneys in Philadelphia to provide a report of the range of research that can support greening as a necessary solution to lessening the impacts of urban blight