Open research questions in Urban Green Space and Health

What the literature leaves open

• The need to clarify the underlying mechanisms and contextual factors is highlighted, - Future research should examine the associations between coastal nature interaction and health outcomes in different populations

  Interactions with Coastal Nature and Health Outcomes: A Bayesian Mindsponge Analysis on Belgian Visitors · 2026 · DOI

• The gap in the research is the limited empirical evidence on specific effects and mechanisms of coastal nature exposure on health. There is a need to clarify the underlying mechanisms and contextual factors of coastal nature exposure on health.

  Interactions with Coastal Nature and Health Outcomes: A Bayesian Mindsponge Analysis on Belgian Visitors · 2026 · DOI

• The study faces challenges in organizing cross-scale differences in active responsive façades. It must address the limitations of current models in domain-specific semantics and process control. The paper also needs to overcome the difficulty of describing façade components, material textures, and environmental relationships with sufficient precision.

  Can Visual Clusters Support Semantic Steering? A Cross-Scale Study of Responsive Façade Images · 2026 · DOI

• The number of cases and the completeness of available documentation remain limited, - The study used purposive sampling across the open web, architectural media, design-firm websites, and project platforms, - The sample size was limited to 75 cases

  Can Visual Clusters Support Semantic Steering? A Cross-Scale Study of Responsive Façade Images · 2026 · DOI

• further studies could investigate the relationship between forest environmental perception and psychological well-being in different populations, - experimental studies could manipulate the forest setting to examine causal relationships

  Differential effects of forest environmental perception on psychological well-being: the moderating role of perceived stress in national parks · 2026 · DOI

• Current studies are mostly concerned with direct effects, not taking into consideration environmental perception and individual differences. The moderating effects of stress in determining the psychological well-being benefits of forest settings are not well studied.

  Differential effects of forest environmental perception on psychological well-being: the moderating role of perceived stress in national parks · 2026 · DOI

• The study only considered four distinct types of small urban parks. The sample size was limited to 55 participants from Fuzhou. The study did not account for potential confounding effects of other environmental factors. The study relied on a multi-stage stratified sampling strategy combined with convenience sampling. The required sample size was estimated using GPower version 3.1.9.2.

  Restorative effects of small urban parks: a multi-method study using eye-tracking and psychophysiological measures in Fuzhou, China · 2025 · DOI

• Investigate the restorative effects of small urban parks in different cultural and geographical contexts. Examine the impact of specific landscape elements on restorative experience. Develop more effective methods for promoting restorative experiences in small urban parks. Explore the potential applications of eye-tracking technology in urban planning and design.

  Restorative effects of small urban parks: a multi-method study using eye-tracking and psychophysiological measures in Fuzhou, China · 2025 · DOI

• One challenge is the difficulty in manually identifying and extracting areas of landscape features from images. Another challenge is the need to collect data from a large number of participants in urban parks. The study also faced the challenge of controlling for various factors that may influence the moderating effects of natural landscape features on emotions and restoration.

  Remedies from nature: exploring the moderating mechanisms of natural landscape features on emotions and perceived restoration in urban parks · 2025 · DOI

• Further studies could explore the impact of natural landscape features on emotions and restoration in different cultural and environmental contexts - Research could investigate the optimal design and management of urban parks to maximize their restorative benefits - Studies could examine the effects of natural landscape features on mental health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression

  Remedies from nature: exploring the moderating mechanisms of natural landscape features on emotions and perceived restoration in urban parks · 2025 · DOI

• The role of sensory stimuli in shaping landscape perception and well-being in urban blue spaces remains underexplored. There is a lack of understanding of the relationships between sensory stimuli, landscape perception, and well-being in urban blue spaces. Prior research has focused primarily on visual cues, with limited attention to auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli.

  How does urban blue space affect human well-being? A study based on the stimulus-organism-response theory · 2025 · DOI

• Investigate the impact of biophilic design on other types of buildings, - explore the effects of biophilic design on occupant satisfaction and health in different climates and regions, - examine the cost-benefit analysis of implementing biophilic design strategies, - study the long-term effects of biophilic design on occupant well-being

  Biophilic Design Strategies and Indoor Environmental Quality: A Case Study · 2025 · DOI

• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health globally, with limited access to mental health care affecting low- and middle-income countries the most. The study had to account for the effects of lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions on mental health. The study had to consider the potential biases and limitations of online surveys and self-reported data.

  Exposure to urban green spaces and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from two low and lower-middle-income countries · 2024 · DOI

• The study only evaluated the affiliated green spaces of three hospitals in Harbin - The study used a limited number of respondents (100) - The study did not consider other factors that may affect patient rehabilitation

  Evaluation of the applicability of hospital-affiliated green spaces to patient recovery using the entropy weight method and grey relational analysis · 2024 · DOI

• There are significant questions about how to scientifically construct hospital affiliated green spaces. More consideration is necessary for the care of the hospital landscape and the availability of information. The form and intensity of propaganda and education are not enough.

  Evaluation of the applicability of hospital-affiliated green spaces to patient recovery using the entropy weight method and grey relational analysis · 2024 · DOI

• The study identifies the need for a systematic approach to evaluate the aging-suitability of community outdoor spaces. The study highlights the importance of considering multiple factors in evaluating the aging-suitability of community outdoor spaces. The study notes the challenge of balancing aesthetic and functional qualities of green spaces with safety and accessibility concerns.

  Research on the aging-suitability of community outdoor spaces in Zhengzhou based on the analytic hierarchy process and semantic differential method · 2024 · DOI

• The current body of evidence regarding the protective effect of green spaces on myopia prevalence is limited by a lack of longitudinal studies. There is a need to establish causality and examine long-term effects of green space exposure on myopia development and progression. The specific characteristics of green spaces that are most beneficial for eye health are not well understood.

  The protective role of green spaces in mitigating myopia prevalence · 2024 · DOI

• The study faces the challenge of understanding the complex psychological processes underlying behavioral changes in visitors. The study needs to capture the dynamic interactions between environmental stimuli and individual responses. The study aims to provide a more detailed perspective on how interactions between the environment and psychological factors shape health outcomes.

  How leisure involvement impacts visitors’ perceived health benefits in urban forest parks: examining the moderating role of place attachment · 2024 · DOI

• Further research could explore the relationship between urban built environment and public sentiment in other cities - Further research could investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on public sentiment - Further research could examine the effect of other micro-built environmental factors on public emotion

  Exploring the non-linear relationship and synergistic effect between urban built environment and public sentiment integrating macro- and micro-level perspective: a case study in San Francisco · 2024 · DOI

• examining the impact of nature on employee outcomes in different industries, - investigating the effects of nature-related policies on work-related outcomes, - exploring the relationship between nature and work outcomes in non-US contexts

  Engaging with nature and work: associations among the built and natural environment, experiences outside, and job engagement and creativity · 2024 · DOI

• The specific visual characteristics that contribute to restorativeness in office environments are not well understood. The psychological effects of green offices have not been fully explored.

  Visual properties and perceived restorativeness in green offices: a photographic evaluation of office environments with various degrees of greening · 2024 · DOI

• Investigate the relationship between interoceptive awareness and nature connection in different populations, - Examine the role of relational attachment to nature in predicting pro-environmental behavior

  Embodied earth kinship: interoceptive awareness and relational attachment personal factors predict nature connectedness in a structural model of nature connection · 2024 · DOI

• Longer or shorter experiments need to be conducted to identify the optimal duration of activity for restoration. The study suggests investigating the mechanisms of stress recovery.

  Which horticultural activities are more effective for children’s recovery from stress and mental fatigue? A quasi-experimental study · 2024 · DOI

• The study notes that most research has focused on gathering and interaction spaces, with few studies examining students' need for space for reflection or meditation. The research highlights the challenge of evaluating the quality of measured outcomes, using Cronbach's coefficient to assess reliability.

  The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration · 2024 · DOI

• examining which dimensions of green space are popular with students from the perspective of their intrinsic motivation, - exploring the correlation between solitude abilities and restorative evaluation, - investigating the relationship between natural environments and mental health from the perspective of physical space

  The Impact of Green Space on University Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Solitude Competence and Perceptual Restoration · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Urban Green Space and Health

• Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments · Journal of Environmental Psychology · 1991 · 4,762 citations
• Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’ · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2014 · 3,734 citations
• Nature and Health · Annual Review of Public Health · 2014 · 3,056 citations
• Urban greening to cool towns and cities: A systematic review of the empirical evidence · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2010 · 2,680 citations
• Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using Green Infrastructure: A literature review · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2007 · 2,303 citations
• The role of urban parks for the sustainable city · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2003 · 1,907 citations
• Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation? · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · 2006 · 1,552 citations
• How the built environment affects physical activity · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · 2002 · 1,403 citations
• The Uncertain Geographic Context Problem · Annals of the Association of American Geographers · 2012 · 1,253 citations
• Restorative Effects of Natural Environment Experiences · Environment and Behavior · 1991 · 1,136 citations

Most recent work

• Unveiling the mechanisms linking urban plant diversity to human physiology health · Cities · 2026
• Toward equitable green spaces: Spatial patterns and determinants of accessibility and inequality across 314 Chinese cities · Cities · 2026
• Seeing green, staying longer? A causal analysis of visual green exposure and urban park engagement using mobility and panoramas data · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2026
• Unraveling threshold effects and hierarchical mechanisms of spatial mismatch between urban environment and subjective well-being in megacities · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2026
• Social media big data reveals how mobility reshapes human environmental exposure inequality · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2026
• A multimodal framework for assessing park accessibility and equity from spatial proximity to experiential quality · Applied Geography · 2026
• Sense of belonging and attachment in urban green spaces: A qualitative study of older adults in Isfahan, Iran · Urban Studies · 2026
• Effectiveness of nature-based group intervention in loneliness and health-related quality-of-life in lonely older adults living in assisted living facilities—a randomised controlled trial · Age and Ageing · 2026
• Trade-off between urban green spaces and public service facilities in China's metropolises: Through the lens of population mobility under urbanization · Cities · 2026
• Beyond single snapshots: Quantifying multi-scale heterogeneity from street-view imagery and what it reveals about perception · Cities · 2026

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