Urban Green Spaces, Human Health and Happiness

Dear Colleagues,

Happiness is an emotion or a state of the mind that a conscious being experiences when it reaches a moment of conformation and well-being, or certain desirable objectives have been achieved. One of the bases of happiness is having good health and an adequate living environment, which includes the setting in which most of the daily life takes place, such as the city. Among the urban elements that have the greatest contribution to the quality of life in cities are green spaces. There is numerous evidence that exposure to urban green spaces can be beneficial for human health, both physical and mental. Some studies have noted that urban green areas are likely to provide safe, accessible and attractive settings in which physical activities can be conducted, which in turn produce greater psychological and physiological benefits than physical activity performed in other settings. However, fewer studies have considered the negative impact on citizens' quality of life, and by extension, on happiness, that green spaces can have. The lack of accessibility and inclusion for vulnerable social groups, of equity, insecurity and fear of crime due to gender disparities, or the impact on health that some negative factors (disservices) intrinsic to green spaces may have, such as the presence of undesirable fauna, pests or emission of allergens, are some aspects that can affect an emotional response to green spaces for a longer or shorter time. In this Special Issue, we want to accommodate all these topics, which undoubtedly depict the direct relationship between green spaces, physical and mental health and happiness, with an emphasis on works that highlight which aspects of green spaces make people happier. On the other hand, works that highlight factors and issues that have a negative impact on the quality of life, health or happiness of people are also of interest. We will be delighted to receive works from broad perspectives and disciplines, from botany, environmental sciences, forestry sciences, urban forestry, ecology, to sociology, health, human geography, architecture, urban planning, etc., providing a multidisciplinary approach to the relationship between green spaces and happiness.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Evidence on the contribution of green spaces to health and happiness;
• Negative factors (disservices) of green spaces that affect people's health and happiness;
• Perception of citizens about the benefits that green spaces provide;
• Future perspectives to improve the participation of green spaces in the well-being of citizens;
• Challenges of urban green spaces in the face of climate change and urban resilience;
• Social capital and values ​​related to the use of urban green spaces;
• Qualitative and quantitative methodology for evaluating green spaces and emotions;
• Green spaces, emotions and social inequality;
• Green spaces as a natural capital;
• The role of green spaces in emotions and the rehabilitation of pathologies;
• Environmental pollutants and health in green spaces;
• Green space architecture and emotions;
• Methodological strategies for the analysis of the proximity of the population to green spaces in cities.

Prof. Dr. Paloma Cariñanos
Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. María del Mar Ramos Lorente
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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• quality of life
• urban green spaces
• happiness
• living environment
• social capital
• health
• inequality