Healthy Cities: Mechanisms and research questions regarding the impacts of urban green landscapes on public health and well-being

Abstract

The paper presents a summary of critical environmental problems in Chinese cities and serious public health crisis resulting from those environmental problems. The paper explains five theoretical pathways through which urban natural landscape influences human health and wellbeing: promoting physical exercises, relieving stress, reducing mental fatigue, providing ecological products or services, and enhancing social capital. A theoretical framework connecting urban natural landscape with health outcomes is established and a set of important research questions are presented.

本文針對目前中國突出的城市環境問題及其所導致的大眾健康問題,從促進身體鍛煉、舒緩精神壓力、減輕精神疲勞、提供生態產品與服務、提升社會資本5個理論機制來解釋城市綠色景觀對公眾健康及福祉的影響,并據此提出了一個簡明的理論框架和一系列有待研究的重要問題。