Green Health: Examining the role of green space characteristics and their proximity in green space health pathways

This doctoral thesis critically examines green space characteristics and their proximity to residents in their ability to help reduce the global disease burden of non-communicable diseases. By dissecting three pivotal pathways of theorized green space health effects through increased physical activity, increased social cohesion, and reduced air pollution, the thesis aims to provide new insights into which green space characteristics drive these relationships and in which distance they occur. To achieve these aims, this thesis develops reporting guidelines for the research field, a QGIS script for automatization of green space indicator development and uses two complementary sources for data collection. It builds on the self-reported data on physical activity, social cohesion, air pollution, health and mental health from the URBiNAT project and its case studies in the four European satellite neighbourhoods Nantes-Nord (France), Porto-Campanhã (Portugal), Sofia-Nadezhda (Bulgaria), and Høje-Taastrup (Denmark) and complements it with a rigorous spatial analysis. This enabled a rigorous sensitivity analysis based on up to 135 structural equation models per pathway. The results of this doctoral research revealed distinct green space characteristics and proximities that drive each pathway, including thresholds where these associations disappear or even change direction. It concludes that interconnected, multi-use green corridors are more beneficial than isolated patches for all analysed health pathways, challenging current municipal green space strategies to shift focus from mere ratios to green mobility infrastructures. Although rooted primarily in European contexts and of a cross-sectional nature, the doctoral research provides new evidence for urban planning and public health. It emphasizes the practical implications of how to design green spaces to address health concerns. The results not only resonate with the WHO's Urban Health Research Agenda but also provide tangible recommendations for a healthier human habitat.