A Dose of the Outdoors

Monica Prelle · REI · July 19, 2018

Featuring Kathleen Wolf, member of the Center’s Research Collaborative

Many studies have shown the positive effects of nature on health and well-being, but research suggests that low-income neighborhoods across the U.S. have less green space, on average, than wealthier neighborhoods. Though access does not necessarily equate to use, a study in England suggests income-related health inequality might be decreased with greater exposure to nature.

Over the last decade, advances in big data and computer processing have made analyses of cities and parks more efficient and have indeed shown disparities, according to Dr. Kathleen Wolf, a research social scientist at the University of Washington.

“Now that we know this, you could ask two questions about those disparities: Why has that happened and what do we do about?” Dr. Wolf says. “That is going to be a policy and program approach.”