The benefits of green infrastructure on campus for student and visitor health

February 5, 2026

For city planners and policymakers, increasing the tree canopy coverage stands out as the most promising green infrastructure planning/management strategies to contribute to health of campus communities/users. The tree canopy data are also more widely available than most other green infrastructure variables, making its use for the purpose of monitoring, intervention, and assessment feasible for various stakeholders.

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Urban biodiversity helps with mental well-being, but we need to take more notice of it

February 5, 2026

As urbanisation continues globally, the interest in urban green space as a provider/supporter of mental well-being is still growing. The question has largely moved on from “Will a walk in the park help with mental well-being?” to “Will a walk in any park do?” Previous research suggested that urban green spaces with rich fauna and flora (i.e. rich biodiversity) improved mental well-being. However, the experimental evidence remains limited.

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Heightened feelings of exclusion contribute to young people’s growing detachment from urban green spaces

February 5, 2026

Our research studies how 16-25-year-old Londoners’ perceptions of parks management practices affect their use of these public spaces. Our aim was to address a knowledge deficit regarding the role of spending time in green space and young people’s mental wellbeing. For policymakers and practitioners aiming to manage parks as health infrastructure, this information is essential, given this cohort is at a critical developmental stage for building mental health resilience.

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Where to walk when we are old: experiments in Taiwan and the USA

February 4, 2026

Our study highlights the importance of green spaces in urban areas for enhancing the well-being of older adults. It reveals significant benefits of nature walks over urban street walks and underscores the need for gender-sensitive urban design.
• Green spaces improve mood and perceived restorativeness.
• Women benefit more from nature walks, especially in urban streets.
• People from different cultures may benefit from nearby nature slightly differently.

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How can we reconnect mental and urban health?

February 2, 2026

Our study found that community place-based initiatives involving the public and private sectors can provide public spaces, such as public parks and communal gardens, that are appropriate for reconnecting mental and urban health using the concept of co-benefit endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2011. We examined this concept in large projects in Seoul and Singapore to show the advantage of intersectoral collaboration for reconnecting mental and urban health initiatives by urban planning.

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Implementing agoraphobia-responsive urban design

February 2, 2026

Discover how integrating agoraphobia-responsive elements into urban design and planning can transform public spaces into safer, more inclusive environments. This study reveals practical strategies that enhance psychological comfort and accessibility in city landscapes.

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Healing the city: a diagnostic approach to decoding stress in urban public spaces

January 29, 2026

This newly developed methodological approach aims to identify the underlying causes of stress in urban environments. To this end, it analyses a broad spectrum of perception-related factors from various fields to capture the full complexity of human perception in a more holistic manner. The evaluation of five case studies using the so-called ‘Stressor Matrices’ serves as the basis for deriving initial hypotheses about the triggers of urban stress.

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