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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

#81

Post by gdubs »

ineedasername wrote: post #79

This is another study that makes me wonder what the real cause may be. Areas with trees, in an urban setting, tend to be more expensive locations. So, is it the the trees, or the higher socio-economic status? In suburban and rural areas where trees are more common, even if the cost of living is low, everything is less dense, people tend to have larger dwellings at lower prices, etc. So, again, is it the trees or the…

They say in the article that the study corrected for a wide range of variables including age, income level, etc.

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

#82

Post by tomjakubowski »

_delirium wrote: post #23
Pxtl wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Manhattan feels like really one of the best cases for trees outside of rural areas. A large percentage of the residential neighborhoods are in walking distance of a big forest... even other boroughs of NYC are mostly worse for that. Some other cities have better weekend access to forests, e.g. in L.A. you can drive to the mountains, but there aren't many with better large forests actually in the city. Maybe DC with R…

Griffith Park (4,217 acres) isn't a forest exactly, but pretty close to it, and right in the heart of Los Angeles city.

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

#83

Post by jnurmine »

Living near trees implies living in an area where space usage is prioritized for nature instead of the stacked concrete boxes most people (have to?) live in. It is likely a less stressful environment overall than places filled with just concrete walls, asphalt and, at best, some grass.

Personally I find tree tops swaying in the wind oddly hypnotic and relaxing. I've thought of why... One reason could be that babies around here are (like I was) put into baby trolleys to sleep outside, summer and winter. If living near trees, chances are that tree tops are the last thing one sees before sleep and the first thing when one wakes up.

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

#84

Post by tropdrop »

Rothnargoth wrote: post #61

"Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress." I'm guessing it's the constant maintenance of a lawn that stresses people, and in this case, other people's lawns. That or you're a youtuber or streamer, and the constant sound of lawn equipment is driving you nuts.

You don't have to be a youtuber or streamer to have the leaf blower drive you nuts - in a suburban setting, you're almost guaranteed a 7am wake-up call from one of these machines on a Saturday. It just takes one punctilious neighbor.

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

#85

Post by edgarvaldes »

ineedasername wrote: post #79

This is another study that makes me wonder what the real cause may be. Areas with trees, in an urban setting, tend to be more expensive locations. So, is it the the trees, or the higher socio-economic status? In suburban and rural areas where trees are more common, even if the cost of living is low, everything is less dense, people tend to have larger dwellings at lower prices, etc. So, again, is it the trees or the…

A long time ago I was a student of a school that had some magical gardens, but some classrooms had the windows placed above the eye level, while others had windows where you could see the gardens (and little else). The difference in the environment, feeling and atmosphere in both areas (which were otherwise identical) was like night and day.

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

#86

Post by thom »

I live in Sheffield, which is about as green as cities get in the UK. I try and walk every day - you can walk from my front door through woods all the way into the Peak District and stand a good chance of not seeing more than a couple of souls. Lately my son has started joining me and honestly, it’s just the most nourishing part of my life at the moment. I am not sure I could survive on the huddled trees and pruned green rectangles disbursed throughout somewhere like London, and even the more extensive parks just don’t feel real to me.

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

#87

Post by mdgrech23 »

jnurmine wrote: post #83

Living near trees implies living in an area where space usage is prioritized for nature instead of the stacked concrete boxes most people (have to?) live in. It is likely a less stressful environment overall than places filled with just concrete walls, asphalt and, at best, some grass. Personally I find tree tops swaying in the wind oddly hypnotic and relaxing. I've thought of why... One reason could be that babies a…

It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we can easily see any incoming predators making us feel safe.

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

#88

Post by spectramax »

mdgrech23 wrote: post #87
jnurmine wrote: post #83

Living near trees implies living in an area where space usage is prioritized for nature instead of the stacked concrete boxes most people (have to?) live in. It is likely a less stressful environment overall than places filled with just concrete walls, asphalt and, at best, some grass. Personally I find tree tops swaying in the wind oddly hypnotic and relaxing. I've thought of why... One reason could be that babies a…

It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we can easily see any incoming predators making us feel safe.

Wow, such an interesting perspective. I never thought about it that way!

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

#89

Post by mintplant »

mdgrech23 wrote: post #87
jnurmine wrote: post #83

Living near trees implies living in an area where space usage is prioritized for nature instead of the stacked concrete boxes most people (have to?) live in. It is likely a less stressful environment overall than places filled with just concrete walls, asphalt and, at best, some grass. Personally I find tree tops swaying in the wind oddly hypnotic and relaxing. I've thought of why... One reason could be that babies a…

It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we can easily see any incoming predators making us feel safe.

The article suggests that something else---something particular to trees, not just open green spaces---is at work here.

> More intriguingly, they also found that exposure to low-lying vegetation was not consistently associated with any particular health outcome. Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress. The wellness-boosting feature, then, appears to be the trees.

> The researchers report that living in areas where 30 percent or more of the outdoor space is dominated by tree canopy was associated with 31 percent lower odds of psychological distress, compared to people living in areas with 0 to 9 percent tree canopy. “Similar results were found for self-related fair to poor general health,” with tree-rich residents reporting better health overall, the researchers write.

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

#90

Post by tropdrop »

mdgrech23 wrote: post #87
jnurmine wrote: post #83

Living near trees implies living in an area where space usage is prioritized for nature instead of the stacked concrete boxes most people (have to?) live in. It is likely a less stressful environment overall than places filled with just concrete walls, asphalt and, at best, some grass. Personally I find tree tops swaying in the wind oddly hypnotic and relaxing. I've thought of why... One reason could be that babies a…

It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we can easily see any incoming predators making us feel safe.

In the article, wide open pastures with no trees were "associated with higher odds of psychological distress." Don't our distant (monkey) cousins live in and amongst trees, usually?

Open pastures with no tree cover just mean easy pickings for an incoming predator, so maybe that hints at why it causes us "distress."

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