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Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

citylab.com

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Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#51

Post by ijpoijpoihpiuoh »

cookingrobot wrote: post #37
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #32

Can we get a title change from "Improves" to "Associated With?" The causal affect is mentioned nowhere but the (incorrect) title. All of the content and quotes from the authors use "associated with."

Interesting.. it doesn't seem likely that wellbeing causes trees. So what are the other possible arrows of causation? Maybe healthy people choose to live near trees?

Richer people live in areas with more trees? Or, if they control for wealth and racial group and all the rest, try something like "health-oriented people prefer being around trees?"

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#52

Post by johnchristopher »

Years ago, I went to a photography exhibition. Theme was the city. The artist's motivation was the idea that we - humans - live in a mineral world (cement, concrete, glass and bricks) now. But we evolved to live and prosper in high grass and trees, in an organic world.

Also, long ago I read that humans liked to sit on benches in park because it feels like we are hiding in the edge of the forests, looking for things from a safe distant place.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#53

Post by sudosteph »

jerryalex wrote: post #44

What are some great cities with surrounding nature for software engineers? I was looking at Atlanta, GA which I heard has the most trees for a city. According to Wikipedia, it has 47.9% tree coverage

Raleigh NC is called "City of Oaks" for a reason. I feel like it probably has more tree coverage than Atlanta, but it's much smaller too. Still, great place to live and a pretty solid tech scene between downtown offices (RedHat, Salesforce, Citrix) and RTP + Durham jobs a short drive away (SAS, NetApp, Cisco, Epic Games).

We also are working on a new 300 acre park project that's only about a mile from downtown, so I'm really excited to spend time there when Fall comes around.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#54

Post by bluGill »

czechdeveloper wrote: post #47

I moved to place with trees. Paid extra for that. After a year in, the forest died due to drought (and bugs). Now I'm looking at forest being cut down and removed. It's quite miserable feeling.

Make sure you look for native trees. They are much more likely to survive drought. Hard to say what to do about bugs which are likely non-native invasive species though. Other than plant a variety of different trees so bugs don't get them all at once.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#55

Post by jimmaswell »

Pxtl wrote: post #17
Causality1 wrote: post #6

Not surprising. As someone who grew up in rural and suburban environments, big cities feel intensely depressing. I go there and nothing I look at makes me feel happy. I'm sure people who grew up there feel differently and see things I don't see, but for me Manhattan feels as dead as the surface of Mars.

Manhattan has Central Park, which is a forest. Compare vs the suburban sprawl of modern design where it's an ocean of tract housing with stunted little fresh-planted trees and I'd say the reverse is generally true. I can see the argument for rural living, but not for modern suburbia.

Perfection to me is a land plot surrounded by woods with no neighbors for miles, maybe with a pond or a stream going through.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#56

Post by will_pseudonym »

jerryalex wrote: post #44

What are some great cities with surrounding nature for software engineers? I was looking at Atlanta, GA which I heard has the most trees for a city. According to Wikipedia, it has 47.9% tree coverage

Portland, OR is a great candidate for this, IMO. In the city is "Forest Park" which is more like a forest than a park. There are tons of trails, and you're less than an hour from dozens of trails in the Colombia River Gorge.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#57

Post by o_p »

cookingrobot wrote: post #37
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #32

Can we get a title change from "Improves" to "Associated With?" The causal affect is mentioned nowhere but the (incorrect) title. All of the content and quotes from the authors use "associated with."

Interesting.. it doesn't seem likely that wellbeing causes trees. So what are the other possible arrows of causation? Maybe healthy people choose to live near trees?

It could be that overpopulated places make people anxious and places with trees are usually less populated.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#58

Post by arnonejoe »

Symmetry wrote: post #48
tunesmith wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or something else causes both healthy people and living near trees.

The obvious one being wealthy people -> wealthy community | | v v good health trees

This is true. Leafy neighborhoods also tend to be wealthy enclaves.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#59

Post by jerryalex »

sudosteph wrote: post #53
jerryalex wrote: post #44

What are some great cities with surrounding nature for software engineers? I was looking at Atlanta, GA which I heard has the most trees for a city. According to Wikipedia, it has 47.9% tree coverage

Raleigh NC is called "City of Oaks" for a reason. I feel like it probably has more tree coverage than Atlanta, but it's much smaller too. Still, great place to live and a pretty solid tech scene between downtown offices (RedHat, Salesforce, Citrix) and RTP + Durham jobs a short drive away (SAS, NetApp, Cisco, Epic Games). We also are working on a new 300 acre park project that's only about a mile from downtown, so I'…

Thanks, Raleigh is definitely in my top 10. I'm currently living in Texas so my nature options are pretty limited. I do appreciate not having an income tax though.

Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing

#60

Post by dahfizz »

Symmetry wrote: post #48
tunesmith wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or something else causes both healthy people and living near trees.

The obvious one being wealthy people -> wealthy community | | v v good health trees

It's usually much cheaper to live outside of a city than inside.
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