Urban green-infrastructure for improved public health : research trends and issues

Abstract

We reviewed the researches on the effect of urban green or natural space on human mental health, physical health, and social cohesion, which are elements of public health, and discussed future research issues. It has been shown in many studies that the existence of urban green spaces has positive effects for each issue of physical health including allergic diseases, mental health issues such as onset of depression, and social cohesion such as regional cooperative relations. However, the knowledge about the effect of the quality of the green space is limited, and in particular research on the relationship between biodiversity and public health remains a lot of challenges in the future.