Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing • Hacker News Board

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

#101

Post by Spooky23 » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 10:49 PM UTC

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.

The difference with New York City is that it’s old and spent a lot of time and money on parks.

Any modern development will be a tree wasteland long term, as all of the topsoil is generally scraped away and sold, and the heavy equipment packs down the soil.

I agree re: suburbia, but for different reasons.

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

#102

Post by dharma1 » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 10:54 PM UTC

lonelappde wrote: post #93

enlyth wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in central London and feel the same way. Coworkers are often surprised that when I moved to London, I chose to go quite a bit north and have to take the tube for 45 minutes to get to work. But I live on a one way street with no traffic, and when I look outside my window, there is a giant field of grass with lots of huge trees. I can go outside, lie down in the grass, enjoy the peace and quiet. I will watch the…

Why do people say London density is so bad when there are homes with trees only 45min away?

Suburbs around Central London don't have a super high population density, and are quite green. Many houses have a garden, and there are lots of parks.

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

#103

Post by xkcd-sucks » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 10:54 PM UTC

felipemnoa wrote: post #26

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.

To each their own. There are those of us that would die of boredom and depression in a rural or suburban environment. To us the city is where is at, especially a place like NYC.

boredom comes from within

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

#104

Post by 9HZZRfNlpR » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 10:56 PM UTC

lonelappde wrote: post #93

enlyth wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in central London and feel the same way. Coworkers are often surprised that when I moved to London, I chose to go quite a bit north and have to take the tube for 45 minutes to get to work. But I live on a one way street with no traffic, and when I look outside my window, there is a giant field of grass with lots of huge trees. I can go outside, lie down in the grass, enjoy the peace and quiet. I will watch the…

Why do people say London density is so bad when there are homes with trees only 45min away?

Because 1.5 hours is a lot of time out if only 24? Unless you live to work.

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

#105

Post by kazinator » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 10:56 PM UTC

> New research finds that, when a neighborhood’s green space leads to better health outcomes, tree canopy provides most of the benefits.

Is it the trees? Or is it the higher income status of the people who can afford to live in the nicer neighborhood?

Complete lack of control for irrelevant variables here.

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

#106

Post by quickthrower2 » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 11:00 PM UTC

enlyth wrote: post #50

outworlder wrote: post #7

Unsurprising result. I was so sad (figuratively speaking) when we moved from an older office - but one which had trees all around and even running water - to a very modern, but boring open floor glass paned antfarm-like building. After some time I got literally depressed. Walking around the concreted block did nothing for me anymore. No trees, no water, no birds, no squirrels. Just cars and a lot of heat in the summe…

I work in central London and feel the same way. Coworkers are often surprised that when I moved to London, I chose to go quite a bit north and have to take the tube for 45 minutes to get to work. But I live on a one way street with no traffic, and when I look outside my window, there is a giant field of grass with lots of huge trees. I can go outside, lie down in the grass, enjoy the peace and quiet. I will watch the…

London people are funny. They thing if you are outside of Zone 2 that you are "out in the sticks" (an idiom for "living in the countryside"), make fun of you and desperately want you to want to live in London.

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

#107

Post by romwell » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 11:16 PM UTC

9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #104

lonelappde wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people say London density is so bad when there are homes with trees only 45min away?

Because 1.5 hours is a lot of time out if only 24? Unless you live to work.

Hahahahahahaha.

(Hello from the Bay Area)

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

#108

Post by spraak » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 11:18 PM UTC

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…

> One reason could be that babies around here are (like I was) put into baby trolleys to sleep outside, summer and winter.

Finland? Sweden?

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

#109

Post by spraak » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 11:20 PM UTC

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.

That famous background makes me nauseous ever since the first time I saw it (and not due to the context of being used for XP)

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

#110

Post by sjf » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 11:20 PM UTC

quickthrower2 wrote: post #106

enlyth wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in central London and feel the same way. Coworkers are often surprised that when I moved to London, I chose to go quite a bit north and have to take the tube for 45 minutes to get to work. But I live on a one way street with no traffic, and when I look outside my window, there is a giant field of grass with lots of huge trees. I can go outside, lie down in the grass, enjoy the peace and quiet. I will watch the…

London people are funny. They thing if you are outside of Zone 2 that you are "out in the sticks" (an idiom for "living in the countryside"), make fun of you and desperately want you to want to live in London.

It's not funny, it makes sense. Imagine what would happen if you are living in zone 3+, and your friend/partner lives in zone 3+ on the _opposite_ side of London. You could easily have a 90 minute travel time between those two points. In most places a travel time that long would count as being in another city.