Increasing Urban Greenery Might Have Avoided at Least 34,000 Fatalities in the United States

Based on data from 2000 to 2019, a US countrywide analysis revealed that boosting green vegetation in big, urban regions might have avoided between 34,000 and 38,000 fatalities.

The survey also found that total greenness in metro regions has improved over the last 20 years, rising by approximately 3% from 2000 to 2010 and 11% from 2010 to 2019.

Increasing urban greenery can save lives

(Photo : SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)

The study followed up on previous studies on the health benefits of being green by assigning a numerical number to the potential influence of urban greening projects on mortality, as per ScienceDaily.

Living in greener places has long been known to benefit our physical and mental health, but there is a scarcity of data on how changes in greenness distribution affect mortality rates throughout the country, according to research main author Paige Brochu, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Environmental Health.

Their research quantified the impact of urban greening and demonstrated how more green vegetation might potentially extend a person's life expectancy.

This data may be used by policymakers and urban planners to assist local climate action plans and ensure that they include what they need.

Brochu and colleagues conducted a nationwide health impact assessment using publicly available population data from the US Census, mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control WONDER system, and greenness data from NASA's Landsat satellites to estimate increased green vegetation's impact on all-cause mortality among adults 65 and older in 35 large US metropolitan areas.

Over 20 years, the study focused on three unique periods: 2000, 2010, and 2019.

The researchers determined that a 0.1 increase in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a commonly used statistic that assesses the quantity of green vegetation, might have saved 34,080-38,187 older deaths or around 15 to 20 fatalities per 10,000 seniors between 2000 and 2019.

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Urban forestry

A large portion of America's tree canopy is made up of urban forests.

In reality, over 140 million acres of America's woods are found in cities and towns, providing important advantages to humans and increased habitat for urban animals, as per American Forests.

The planting, management, care, and preservation of tree populations in urban areas are referred to as urban forestry.

Trees also play an important part in city planning and urban infrastructure.

Parks and gardens are included in planned green space linkages, as are landscaped boulevards, river and coastal promenades, greenways, and even modest street-side tree boxes.

All of this necessitates careful planning and highly qualified personnel.

The finest management strategies for maximizing all of the advantages of trees in urban contexts are referred to as urban forestry.

It is multidisciplinary and multifaceted, encompassing research, policy, practice, and community involvement initiatives.

The art, science, and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and near community ecosystems for the psychological, sociological, artistic, economic, and environmental advantages trees bring society is characterized as urban forestry.

It arose as a discipline in North America in reaction to the need for better solutions to the expanding importance of tree-dominated urban greenspace, as well as increasing constraints on green spaces.

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