YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
Our well-being is enhanced by natural surroundings. There are many studies that have shown that green spaces are associated with health-promoting effects. Yet planners and lawmakers all too frequently overlook this positive role played by green spaces when deciding on future land utilisation in urban areas although natural areas within the urban environment are known to have beneficial effects on both physical and psychological well-being. A particularly important factor in this connection is the passive potential of urban green spaces to promote health, irrespective of whether residents actively seek out such facilities or not. Green spaces can provide for sustainable improvements to the climate in metropolitan areas and counteract the recognised phenomenon known as the 'urban heat island' effect. This effect can threaten the health of population groups that are particularly sensitive to higher temperatures. Urban green spaces mitigate the heat island effect because they accumulate less heat during the day than the built-up surroundings and thus more extensively cool at night. Moreover, green spaces improve air quality as vegetation is able to remove pollutants from the atmosphere. Urban trees and green roofs and façades can contribute towards the reduction of levels of toxic nitrogen oxides and fine dust particles while urban greenery also acts as a natural and dynamic noise insulation system.
The passive and active health-promoting potential of urban green spaces
In addition to their passive potential, urban green spaces also have many active effects that make them into an important source of health-generating potential within the municipal environment. Green spaces in the immediate vicinity of residential areas can enhance the health of local residents. The extent of this effect is mainly determined by the spatial situation, the number of green areas, whether they are connected with each other, their quality and, last but not least, the frequency with which they are actually used. Positive effects are most apparent when urban green spaces can be readily utilised ‒ in other words, are easily accessible, well designed, are suitable for their purpose and are perceived as safe. The use of green spaces unlocks their active potentials and in this context recreation and sport are important factors. Today, we live, work and feed ourselves in different ways to those of our forebears. The consequences of insufficient leisure time, a lack of exercise and poor nutrition include cardiovascular problems, burnout syndrome, depression, head, back and joint pain through to obesity. The costs of the various diseases of civilisation are putting the health care system under increasing pressure. The availability of facilities that promote healthy mental development is thus of particular relevance for all urban dwellers. Public parks and gardens serve as oases of peace where rest and recuperation are possible, where stress can be relieved and the powers of concentration restored. Urban green spaces thus have direct effects on the well-being and quality of life of urban residents.
Forsa survey: 'Urban green spaces and health'
Many who live in metropolitan areas will spend their spare time in parks, for example playing sport, particularly when the weather is fine. This has been confirmed by a survey undertaken in Germany by the Forsa Institute on behalf of the Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e. V. (Federal Association of Horticulture, Landscaping & Sports Facilities Construction) in 2015. According to the results, nearly 75% of all Germans visit urban green spaces several times a month while only 7% never use these. A total of 2,003 persons over the age of 14 years living in communities with at least 100,000 residents responded to the survey. Regional differences also became apparent. For example, 66% of urban residents in the states of Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland visited their municipal parks at least once a week. The second highest figure in this respect (63%) was among those living in the former states of East Germany (including Berlin). In the south (Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg), nearly 60% visit a park once weekly, while the corresponding figure is 56% in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bringing up the rear are the inhabitants of northern Germany; only 53% of those surveyed stated that they used a park at least once a week.
The survey also shows: men use parks more frequently than women
Those surveyed stated that their main reason for visiting a park was: to escape from everyday stresses (81%), to experience nature (75%), to take exercise in the form of sport (74%) and to do something for their health (73%). It turned out that 60% of the males surveyed visited a park once a week while, in the case of females, this figure was just under 57%. It was also revealed that women go to parks to observe nature (79%) while men prefer to use parks for sporting activities (76%). In general, the survey showed that sport and exercise are more important for those living in central Germany than, for example, for urban dwellers in the north of Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia and in the east of Germany. Furthermore, nearly all those who participated in the survey (94%) were of the opinion that visiting a park had a positive effect on their well-being and their physical and mental health. "The results of the survey demonstrate how popular parks and green spaces are in Germany and the extent to which they are used for sport and exercise. Green spaces thus promote health and improve the quality of life of urban residents." Municipal green spaces are thus not a luxury but must be seen as an intrinsic factor of everyday life that contributes significantly to the maintenance of our well-being. The greater the number of those who use parks, gardens and public green spaces for sport, relaxation and leisure activities, the lower will be the prevalence of illnesses and the related consequential costs for society as a whole.
14- to 29-year-olds expressed a particular wish to see improved facilities and a better level of maintenance in parks
The response of one group to the question "What factors would induce you to visit municipal green spaces more frequently?" is particularly interesting. Of those aged 14 to 29 years who participated to the survey, 73% answered that improved facilities and maintenance of parks and green spaces would encourage them to go there more often. More than 50% of this age group replied that better accessibility and more sport-related options and exercise equipment would represent an effective inducement for them, "It is apparent that greater emphasis needs to be placed on the provision of green spaces and parks when it comes to strategies relevant to municipal sport and exercise options as the former represent freely available green fitness studios within the urban environment. By adopting contemporary and sustainable green space planning and upkeep policy concepts, towns and cities can extend their sports facilities ‒ facilities that will be employed by users literally 'off their own bat', as the survey has shown that there is no requirement among the population for organised sports activities in parks," concludes Forster.
One thing is clear; the greater the extent of urbanisation, the greater will be the need for urban green spaces to sustain the quality of life and health of urban residents. Physicians and health care services, politicians and local authorities and, of course, landscape and urban planners need to recognise the relevance of the health-promoting effects of green spaces. It is now generally acknowledged that areas left to nature and attractive open spaces in the urban environment have a positive effect on health.
Images: Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e. V.
