The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic
The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/4/341 |
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| author | Ralf-Uwe Syrbe Ina Neumann Karsten Grunewald Patrycia Brzoska Jiři Louda Birgit Kochan Jan Macháč Lenka Dubová Petr Meyer Jan Brabec Olaf Bastian |
| author_facet | Ralf-Uwe Syrbe Ina Neumann Karsten Grunewald Patrycia Brzoska Jiři Louda Birgit Kochan Jan Macháč Lenka Dubová Petr Meyer Jan Brabec Olaf Bastian |
| author_sort | Ralf-Uwe Syrbe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:50:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-470677ddd46041d99437990c898aecb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:50:11Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-470677ddd46041d99437990c898aecb22023-11-21T13:05:14ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2021-03-0110434110.3390/land10040341The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech RepublicRalf-Uwe Syrbe0Ina Neumann1Karsten Grunewald2Patrycia Brzoska3Jiři Louda4Birgit Kochan5Jan Macháč6Lenka Dubová7Petr Meyer8Jan Brabec9Olaf Bastian10Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, GermanyLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, GermanyLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, GermanyLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, GermanyInstitute for Economic and Environmental Policy, Faculty of Social and Economic Studies, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech RepublicLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, GermanyInstitute for Economic and Environmental Policy, Faculty of Social and Economic Studies, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech RepublicInstitute for Economic and Environmental Policy, Faculty of Social and Economic Studies, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech RepublicDepartment of Geology, Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech RepublicInstitute for Economic and Environmental Policy, Faculty of Social and Economic Studies, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech RepublicDepartment of Environment and Municipal Utilities, State Capital of Dresden, 01001 Dresden, GermanyThe quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/4/341environment assessmentrecreationurban green spacesgreen infrastructureurbanizationsocial interaction |
| spellingShingle | Ralf-Uwe Syrbe Ina Neumann Karsten Grunewald Patrycia Brzoska Jiři Louda Birgit Kochan Jan Macháč Lenka Dubová Petr Meyer Jan Brabec Olaf Bastian The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic Land environment assessment recreation urban green spaces green infrastructure urbanization social interaction |
| title | The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic |
| title_full | The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic |
| title_fullStr | The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic |
| title_short | The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic |
| title_sort | value of urban nature in terms of providing ecosystem services related to health and well being an empirical comparative pilot study of cities in germany and the czech republic |
| topic | environment assessment recreation urban green spaces green infrastructure urbanization social interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/4/341 |
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