PREHealth International Synthesis report
Summary:
There is a growing body of research showing the positive effects of green open public spaces on people’s health and wellbeing. However, there is still limited knowledge among local stakeholders, urban designers, and policy makers about how to plan, develop and maintain urban green and blue infrastructures to purposefully design more health and fitness into people’s lives. It is for these reasons that the focus of this report is set on the potential of the built environment to foster and promote healthrelated behaviour on the different socioeconomic and cultural profiles in European urban areas. It addresses the following research questions:
1. What is the relation between healthrelated behaviour (i.e. active travel, active recreational use, and social interaction) and urban open public spaces (green spaces, squares, street networks, blue infrastructure)?
2. How do socio-economic and cultural profiles relate to health-related usage of open public spaces?