Municipalities can give a major boost to the health and well-being of their residents by investing in greenery. With 7,300 extra hectares of greenery, the care needs of more than 62,000 patients can be prevented.
This is the conclusion of research done by Sweco, Europe’s largest architectural and engineering consultancy, based on scientifically proven links between greening and health. Read their whitepaper here (in Dutch).
Up to 89 Fewer Patients per Additional Hectare of Greenery
Every 1,160 m2 of extra greenery results in one patient with a long-term condition requiring less care. The health impact is significantly greater in highly urbanized neighborhoods with relatively high population densities. Here the health effects increase to a maximum of one less patient requiring care per 112 m2 of added greenery. This is a decrease of almost 90 patients requiring care per additional hectare of green space.
10,000 football pitches of greening potential
At a neighborhood level, Sweco looked at the public mental and physical health data, the costs of care and absenteeism and the greening potential of 104 municipalities that participated in the Green City Challenge. This shows that a total extra green space of more than 7,300 hectares (10,000 football pitches) can be realized. These are adjustments within the current design, which do not require major interventions. This extra green space consists of more green in the public space and more green gardens and roofs of private individuals and companies.
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