Environment

Environmental scientists say increasing access to nature in all everyday settings and education

People will use more green space if it is available throughout their everyday environment, not just where they live. Professor Yuta Uchiyama of Kobe University said, “These results can be used as evidence for policy making, especially in the fields of environmental management and urban planning, as there is a possibility of utilizing green spaces not only around residential areas but also in people’s overall living environment.” ā€ states. . ā€Credit: Yuta Uchiyama

Access to nature is a fundamental human right, but people’s actual use of green spaces is subject to inequalities. A research team led by Kobe University has investigated the conditions that increase the likelihood that people will come into contact with nature across generations: the presence or absence of green spaces around their residences, workplaces, and shopping areas; their relationship with nature; Analyzed experiences.

Their findings, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, could inform urban planning and education policies to improve human health.

Visiting green spaces has a positive impact on people’s health both psychologically and physiologically. However, the frequency with which people use green spaces is not equal, which is a topic of debate in the fields of urban planning and local governance.

Research has mainly focused on the association between the availability of green spaces around residential areas and socio-economic factors.

Yuta Uchiyama, a human environmentalist at Kobe University, said, “Although access to a high-quality natural environment is a fundamental human right, it is still a priority because policymakers believe that it can be addressed indirectly through economic growth.” They tend to be treated as low-ranking issues.”

So Uchiyama and his team conducted research in Japan’s two largest metropolitan areas: the Kanto region, which is centered on Tokyo, and the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.

The survey surveyed 3,500 people about how often and where they visit green spaces, where they live, work and shop, basic socio-economic factors such as age, gender and household income, and their association with and availability of nature. asked. Free time.

Additionally, we used publicly available geographic data to correlate the responses we collected with the size and shape of surrounding green spaces in respondents’ daily environments.

The lead author from Kobe University said, “Due to my personal experience, I felt the need to focus on everyday life in general. Both now and as a child, on my way to work or school, I encountered plants and animals (on campus). We even encountered wild boars inside.” , shopping allows you to feel the seasons and forget your daily routine for a moment, so it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of these various aspects. ā€

Increasing access to nature in all everyday environments and education

Cities in East and Southeast Asia are more mixed with rural areas, and in Japan this is called a “satoyama landscape” and is still a typical sight near large cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In fact, Uchiyama’s research shows that the presence of complex-shaped farmland and green spaces nearby correlates well with the frequency of people’s use of green spaces, demonstrating the importance of these landscapes. Credit: Yuta Uchiyama

Their results show that people use more green space when it is available throughout their everyday environment, not just around where they live. Kobe City researchers said, “These results can be used as basis for policy making, especially in the fields of environmental management and urban planning, as there is a possibility of utilizing green spaces not only around residential areas but also in people’s overall living environment.” It is said that

The results also show that another highly consistent factor driving nature visits is people’s childhood experiences with nature and their association with nature, and that associations with nature increase as respondents age. It has also been shown that it is even stronger. “This shows how important effective environmental education for all generations is,” says Uchiyama.

However, the baseline for such policies is different in monsoon Asia compared to urban areas in North America and Europe. Uchiyama explains, “Cities in East Asia and Southeast Asia are a mix of urban and rural areas compared to Europe and North America. In other words, cities and rural areas are closer together and there is no clear distinction between them.”

This kind of complex landscape is called “satoyama landscape” in Japan, and it is still a typical landscape in the suburbs of large cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In fact, Uchiyama’s research results show that the presence of complex-shaped farmland and green spaces nearby correlates well with the frequency with which people use green spaces, demonstrating the importance of these landscapes.

Human-environmental scientists are looking at the bigger picture. ā€œOngoing research is also focusing on health outcomes that correlate with nature visitation, using big data approaches such as mobile phone GPS data to determine exactly where and for how long people are exposed to green spaces. We are tracking what is being done.

ā€œUltimately, we want our research to contribute to policies that reduce unequal access to nature, which we believe is the root cause of other social and environmental problems. After all, access to nature is a basic human right.ā€

Further information: Yuta Uchiyama et al., Local environment perceived in daily life and visits to urban green and blue spaces: Revealing key factors for different age groups to access ecosystem services, Journal of Environmental Management ( 2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122676

Provided by Kobe University

Citation: Increasing access to nature in all everyday environments and education, environmental scientists say (October 8, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-10-access-nature-daily-environments – Retrieved October 8, 2024 from environment.html

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