ABSTRACT
Well-being is considered fundamental to quality of life. Yet there are worldwide concerns over increasing rates of obesity, chronic diseases, stress and associated mental ill-health. In seeking novel approaches to addressing these problems there is a resurgence of interest in the influence of the environment, in particular the natural environment, on human health and well-being. Over half the world’s population now lives in urban areas; in Europe and North America the predicted level of urbanisation for 2010 was 70–80 per cent (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2008). With these changes worldwide, there is increasing need to understand the health impacts of urban living, identify mitigating factors, and implement sustainable patterns of development (Capon, 2007; Harris et al., 2007; Thompson, 2007; Vohra, 2007). Urban green space, including parks, is beginning to be studied as a potential health resource (de Vries et al., 2003; Kaczynski and Henderson, 2007; Korpela and Ylén, 2007, 2009; Korpela et al., 2008, 2010; Maas et al., 2006, 2009; McCormack et al., 2010; Pinder et al., 2009).
