A socio-ecological exploration of fear of crime in urban green spaces – A systematic review

Maruthaveeran, Sreetheran; Bosch, Cecil C. Konijnendijk van den

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2013.11.006

Cited by 314 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…For example, improvements in access to woodland green space near deprived urban communities in Scotland, United Kingdom had a positive impact on green space use and may have contributed to improvements in activity levels and perceived quality of life (Ward . Sreetheran and van den Bosch (2014), in a systematic review of English language literature, found that being an ethnic minority and living in low-income neighbourhoods affects feelings of insecurity in urban green space. Research findings also suggest that, in some settings, beneficial effects of exposure to green space on birth weight may be pronounced only in the lowest socioeconomic position group (Dadvand et al 2012) or in specific cultural or ethnic groups (Dadvand et al 2014b).…”

Section: Benefits In Disadvantaged Groups and Reduction Of Health Inementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

Braubach

Egorov

Mudu

et al. 2017

Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions

144

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Modern urban life style is associated with chronic stress, insufficient physical activity and exposure to anthropogenic environmental hazards. Urban green space, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health and reduce morbidity and mortality in urban residents by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, supporting physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat.This chapter summarizes the pathways that link green spaces to health and wellbeing, and discusses available evidence of specific beneficial effects such as improved mental health, reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and death, and improved pregnancy outcomes Specific attention is given to benefits of urban green space for disadvantaged groups and their impacts on health equity. Potential health risks associated with urban green spaces are also discussed along with approaches to reducing or eliminating these risks through proper design and maintenance of green spaces.

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Section: Benefits In Disadvantaged Groups and Reduction Of Health Inementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

Braubach

Egorov

Mudu

et al. 2017

Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions

144

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…First, we suggest that biodiversity may not be the main cause of apprehension in a landscape. Studies suggest that feelings of fear or sense of safety influence responses to an environment [1,3,4,6,23]. In our study, we controlled for safety by choosing study plots that are easily accessible to the public by roads or trails.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies conducted in wilderness areas [55,56] found that people sometimes had negative psychological responses to nature because of fear of crime, encounters with wild animals, and concern about becoming lost in natural settings [57,58], or allergens from pollens and sap in some plants [59]. Studies conducted in urban or suburban spaces found that people feared natural areas when they felt vegetation could be used to conceal criminals [1][2][3]58]. We infer that the outer appearance and safety concerns may influence people's responses to an environment more than the inner ecological content or biodiversity of the place.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Is it possible, however, that green space can meet the needs of both human wellbeing and ecological health? There is reason to believe this may be a challenge [1][2][3]. A number of studies have shown that people's preference for settings turns from positive to negative when the naturalness of the place exceeds a certain threshold [4][5][6].Those negative perceptions can include, for example, a sense of fear and disgust [1][2][3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Biodiversity on Green Space Users’ Wellbeing—An Empirical Investigation Using Physiological Evidence

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Promoting ecological health and human wellbeing are two fundamental goals in landscape sustainability. Green spaces are thought to improve users' psychological and physical wellbeing through the contact with nature. However, the results of some studies that rely on self-reports suggest that when the level of naturalness in a green space reaches a certain point, the beneficial effects diminish and in some cases can cause negative responses. We explored this possibility through an experimental study in which we use physiological measures rather than perceptions to assess people's wellbeing. We investigate how people are affected by outdoor settings with varying degrees of biodiversity and whether the correlation between biodiversity and physiological wellbeing is negative or positive. We used multiple measures of insect diversity as an indicator for biodiversity, and biofeedback measures as indicators of wellbeing. Our findings suggest that people are equally affected by more biodiverse and less biodiverse settings. Physiological responses remain largely unchanged when biodiversity increases. This suggests that settings rich in biodiversity will not negatively influence people's physiological wellbeing, and designers and city planners should not hesitate to use ecological best practices in their designs.

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“…safety concerns, increased crime, property impacts, maintenance burdens etc.) (Sreetheran and van den Bosch 2014). And greenspace planning may perpetuate existing environmental inequalities and create new ones (Anguelovski 2016).…”

Section: Political Ecology(ies) Of Just Urban Greenspacementioning

confidence: 99%

Informal Urban Green Space as Anti-Gentrification Strategy?

Rupprecht¹,

Byrne²

Just Green Enough

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Note: This manuscript represents a preprint version of a book chapter. The book chapter has been accepted to be published as part of the book Just Green Enough. AbstractAccess to urban greenspace is vital for urban residents' wellbeing. Yet investment in new parks can trigger housing price inflation through a process termed environmental gentrification. This can in turn potentially displace marginalized and vulnerable residents. In this chapter, we examine cases from Japan and Australia, investigating how informal urban greenspaces (IGS) (e.g. vacant lots, street or railway verges, brownfields, and power line corridors) could function as an 'anti-gentrification' urban greening strategy. Employing conceptual insights from political ecology and environmental justice, we use spatial and statistical analysis to test whether IGS is socio-spatially differentiated by (dis)advantage, and whether factors such as income and education affect residents' perception and use of IGS. Results suggest that IGS holds considerable potential as a 'just green enough' intervention, because it does not appear to trigger gentrification as occurs with more 'intentional' green spaces. We argue that a key difference between intentional and informal greenspaces is the apparent empowerment of residents as co-creators, designers, managers and users of greenspace -not as passive consumers. Informal greenspaces may thus fulfill recreational needs while avoiding demands for a 'return on investment', a driver of environmental-gentrification. Insights from Japan suggest that planners and urban managers should identify and reduce IGS use barriers, provide better information (e.g. IGS maps), and work with residents to promote its use.

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A socio-ecological exploration of fear of crime in urban green spaces – A systematic review

Cited by 314 publications

References 96 publications

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

The Effect of Biodiversity on Green Space Users’ Wellbeing—An Empirical Investigation Using Physiological Evidence

Informal Urban Green Space as Anti-Gentrification Strategy?

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