Green Cities Thrive: How Urban Nature Boosts Health and Community

We may be modern urban dwellers, surrounded by concrete and steel, yet beneath our routines lies a deep-rooted need to connect with the natural world. This instinct, known as biophilia, describes “an instinctive human desire to connect to nature,” and its influence on our physical and mental health is profound. “The presence, or the absence, of nature has a strong effect on our general psychological state,” explains Tony Matthews, an award-winning urban and environmental planner and lecturer at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.

Greenery in urban environments underpins happier, healthier communities. Cities with plentiful trees, parks and planted spaces encourage walking and outdoor activity, whereas those lacking green areas see residents who are “heavier, sicker, and sadder,” leading to poorer public health. “If you think about a city as part of the psychological environment, then one of the things that help good psychological and good mental health outcomes is lots of greenery,” Tony Matthews says, noting that the importance of urban vegetation is “increasingly understood and accepted.”

Green Spaces as Social Hubs

Green spaces serve as vital “third places” – venues where social interaction takes place without commercial transactions. “It can be a public park, it can be a dog park, it can be a farmers’ market. Fundamentally, it’s a place where social, not commercial, activity is the primary reason for being there,” Matthews explains. Unlike cafés or restaurants, parks allow visitors to stay as long as they wish, fostering relaxed, community-centred encounters.

Loneliness ranks among the most pervasive mental health challenges in cities. Without accessible third places, many urban dwellers miss out on casual social experiences that counter isolation. “Loneliness is probably the largest form of poor mental health in cities,” says Matthews. Studies link loneliness to depression, cardiovascular disease and even increased mortality, yet green spaces provide a simple means to bring people together.

Regular social interaction in planted environments also builds social cohesion, or a sense of belonging to one’s community. “When you’re in a space where you’re meeting people, you’re socially engaged and you’re active, you start to develop a greater place attachment; you care more about the place,” Matthews states. This attachment motivates residents to look after and protect their surroundings. “Social cohesion is the difference between knowing who your neighbours are and being friends with them, or not knowing them,” he adds.

Nature’s Cognitive and Physical Boost

Even minor encounters with wildlife – feeding ducks in a park, for instance – boost our mood by reinforcing our bond with the natural world. Subconscious responses to healthy trees and blossoming plants further enhance individual well-being and collective experience, Matthews notes.

Time spent in green settings also offers cognitive relief. Studies confirm that nature diverts our attention in an “involuntary” way, reducing mental fatigue and stress more effectively than breaks in built environments. This “mental recharging” leaves us feeling refreshed and energised.

Medical research reveals that patients with views of vegetation recover more quickly, thanks in part to the mental benefits of nature. Building on this, Matthews is exploring green infrastructure in aged-care facilities, where easy access to shade, seating and sunshine supports both physical recovery and social interaction among older residents.

Creating Green Schools and Communities

Children’s development similarly benefits from contact with greenery. Research by McGraw-Hill Construction shows that green schools offer better acoustics, lighting and thermal comfort, leading to improved academic performance and health. Yet the rise of vertical schools in Australia has raised questions about how pupils will access open, planted spaces for play and exercise.

Ideally, every citizen should live within 400 metres of a green space, with at least 9 m² of greenery per person – the World Health Organization’s minimum recommendation. In practice, many urban areas fall short. India’s capital provides just 1.8 m² of green space per person and faces high rates of anxiety and schizophrenia, while Oslo, where public greenery covers 68% of the city, ranks among the world’s happiest.

Investing in Green Infrastructure

Expanding urban greenery involves challenges: private ownership of land, council budgets for maintenance, insurance liabilities, and the upfront costs of creation. Yet without such investment, long-term public health expenses soar. Mental illnesses in Europe alone cost an estimated €600 billion annually.

Despite these hurdles, awareness of greenery’s value is growing among planners, architects and policymakers. “Urban greenery space has gone from being a very general thing to something that’s really quite focused on now,” Matthews observes. Recognising green spaces as critical infrastructure marks the first step. Turning that knowledge into practice will be essential if cities are to nurture healthier, more connected communities.

This article was curated, reviewed, and verified by the Conservation Mag team. Further reading: https://citychangers.org/psychological-effects-of-greenery/.