Measuring Urban Nature for Pedestrian Health: Systematic Review and Expert Survey
Citation
Lee, C., Park, A. H., Lee, H., Bratman, G. N., Hankey, S., & Li, D. (2024). Measuring urban nature for pedestrian health: Systematic review and expert survey. Landscape and Urban Planning, 250, 105129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105129
Walking and access to nature are two of the best ways to promote good health and prevent disease. Researchers are increasingly interested in how access to nature encourages walking and how walking in nature supports better physical and mental health. To study these connections well, researchers need good ways to measure how much nature people experience, but current methods for doing so are limited.
For this paper, researchers conducted a systematic review of 115 studies to identify the different ways that urban nature has been measured (urban nature measures). Researchers found 48 different measures, most of which (40 or 83%) used objective tools like satellite images or maps to calculate how much green space is nearby. Common methods included measuring how close people live to green spaces and the area of green spaces.
Researchers also surveyed 30 experts to identify additional and emerging methods. New and promising technologies for studying nature and health include LiDAR (a laser-based mapping tool), GPS, high-resolution imagery, virtual or augmented reality, and assessments. However, they also warned about challenges such as privacy risks, unequal access to technology, and potential bias in data.
Overall, this study helps identify the best tools available for measuring nature for pedestrian health research. By improving how we measure urban nature, researchers, community leaders, and policymakers can better design healthier, more walkable, and greener urban environments.
Abstract
Walking and access to nature are two of the most effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies. There has been a growing interest in the dynamic pathways among access to nature, walking, and health. Effective measurement of these variables is the prerequisite to advancing our understanding of such pathways. However, contrasting to the rigorous methods available for walking and health measures, methods to quantify nature have been limited.
This study uses a systematic literature review to synthesize urban nature measures (UNMs) used in published studies linking urban nature with pedestrian health outcomes (e.g. walking, physical activity, physical health, mental health). A survey of experts (n = 30) was used to identify additional and emerging methods.
The literature search identified 115 articles and 48 UNMs most of which (40 or 83%) were objective measures. Results showed no consensus on the optimal UNMs for pedestrian health research, but certain measures such as NDVI, proximity to green spaces, and area/proportion of green spaces, were popularly used in previous studies. Experts suggested emerging methods including LiDAR, GPS, high-resolution imagery, virtual/augmented reality, and context-sensitive ecological momentary assessment. Major gaps in current UNMs included the shortage of eye-level and quality-related measures. While experts acknowledge the promise of emerging technologies, they shared concerns related to privacy, digital divide, confidentiality, and bias.
This study offers insights into the UNMs available to quantify nature for pedestrian health research, which can serve to facilitate future research, community actions, and policy changes aimed at promoting walking and nature access for healthier urban communities.