75% of the EU population lives in cities, yet most cities were built as compact areas with a high population density and few green spaces. With climate change increasingly impacting urban residents, green areas such as parks are a key solution for climate mitigation and adaptation. In addition, increasing the share of green spaces is beneficial for residents’ physical and mental health.
A new briefing, published by the EU funded research project The Urban Burden of Disease Estimation for Policy Making (UBDPolicy), summarises the key health benefits of green spaces in cities and highlights best practices from 12 European cities. The briefing also includes science-based recommendations for local and European decision makers considering increasing the share of green spaces in cities.
