Speaker
Description
Cities face increasingly urgent challenges related to climate change. Innovative approaches are being implemented to ensure environmental sustainability for future generations. According to the World Health Organisation, a prerequisite for sustainable urban development is health (Neira, 2015). Numerous studies show that urban biodiversity contributes to human health. Aerts et al. (2018) highlight the link between green infrastructure, biodiversity, ecosystem services and health. Biodiversity benefits both mental and physical health (Sandifer et al., 2015). In particular, the presence of greenery is associated with reduced symptoms of chronic diseases (Maas et al., 2009) and a greater perception of invigoration (Carrus et al., 2015). Conversely, a decrease in biodiversity is associated with an increased risk of contracting inflammatory diseases (Haahtela, 2019). The relationship between urban greenery and health also has repercussions on the economic and social fronts: green areas that promote health help to reduce health inequalities associated with income as well as overall health expenditure (Becker et al., 2019).
It is precisely to meet these challenges that the URBioPark project was created, part of the Research Projects of Significant National Interest (PRIN), which will be financed in 2022 thanks to Next Generation EU funds. It involves three Italian universities (the universities of Brescia, Verona and Padua) as well as the Italian National Research Council (CNR).
The project's objectives range from the academic research to the practical application: studying the correlation between human health and urban biodiversity; defining indicators for assessing biodiversity; identifying actions to maintain and increase it; raising citizens' awareness and promoting their active participation; and providing useful tools for territorial governance. In particular, the University of Brescia, in addition to coordinating and managing the project, has the task of exploring the link between the biodiversity of urban parks and human wellbeing by conducting a survey of four parks in the city.
GIS software was used for the survey to integrate health and geographical data, linking the prevalence of chronic disease derived from health database of Local Health Protection Agency to buffer zones surrounding the selected city parks. The parks were chosen using four criteria: presence of the same plant species; presence of areas with extensive tree cover; homogeneity in site morphology; heterogeneity of the context in which the parks are located. The methodology makes it possible to test whether there is a correlation between proximity to urban green areas and the incidence of chronic diseases. Despite the limitations of the method, such as the inability to account for all environmental confounding factors (e.g. air pollution) or other green areas, it offers significant advantages, including data update efficiency and replicability. By deepening the research with an analysis about specific elements (pavements, permeability, tree species), the biodiversity of each park can be assessed and correlated with human health indicators.
The practical implications of the study are numerous. By extending the analysis to surrounding neighbourhoods, it is possible to identify critical areas to be subjected to interventions such as re-naturalisation and the implementation of green networks. It is also possible to draw up a manual of best practices that can provide useful guidance on how to manage and integrate biodiversity into spatial planning and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedures. URBioPark will not only advance urban planning by integrating biodiversity and health considerations but also provide a replicable framework for other cities.
References
Aerts, R., Honnay, O. and Van Nieuwenhuyse, A. (2018) ‘Biodiversity and human health: mechanisms and evidence of the positive health effects of diversity in nature and green spaces’, British Medical Bulletin, 127(1), pp. 5–22.
Becker, D.A. et al. (2019) ‘Is green land cover associated with less health care spending? Promising findings from county-level Medicare spending in the continental United States’, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 41, pp. 39–47.
Carrus, G. et al. (2015) ‘Go greener, feel better? The positive effects of biodiversity on the well-being of individuals visiting urban and peri-urban green areas’, Landscape and Urban Planning, 134, pp. 221–228.
Haahtela, T. (2019) ‘A biodiversity hypothesis’, Allergy, 74(8), pp. 1445–1456.
Maas, J. et al. (2009) ‘Morbidity is related to a green living environment’, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 63(12), pp. 967–973.
Neira, M. (2015) Health must be the number one priority for urban planners, World Health Organization.
Sandifer, P.A., Sutton-Grier, A.E. and Ward, B.P. (2015) ‘Exploring connections among nature, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health and well-being: Opportunities to enhance health and biodiversity conservation’, Ecosystem Services, 12, pp. 1–15.
| Keywords | Biodiversity; Climate Change; Resilience; Urban Green Areas |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
