npj Clean Air - The scents of summer: plant-diversity and vegetation-height drive health-relevant scent exposure in urban greenspaces

As urbanisation accelerates globally, access to nature is increasingly recognised as vital for public health and wellbeing. We captured and analysed plant-emitted airborne ‘scent signatures’ across O...

Leith Links

The evidence linking natural environments to positive effects on human health is substantial and well established1,2,3. A large body of evidence has been provided both at the psychological level, with benefits such as the reduction of stress, anxiety and fatigue4,5,6 and at the physiological level, with positive immunomodulatory, analgesic, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, respiratory, anticancer, and antimicrobial effects cited7,8,9,10,11. These benefits have been linked to all the human senses with visual features (such as the level of greenness), sounds (such as birdsong), and scents (such as terpenes) having all been shown to individually improve human health9,12,13,14,15,16,17,18. Such is the healing power of nature that urban green infrastructure is becoming increasingly promoted as a solution to health-related challenges in cities. For example, in the UK, the 2023 Green Infrastructure Framework from Natural England aims to support the creation of ‘good quality green infrastructure for people and for nature’19. Similarly, the WHO has published ‘Urban green spaces and health’ which concludes the need for both small and large biologically diverse green spaces in urban areas20. Indeed, many urban greenspaces have already been designed with the aim of achieving benefits such as these—a relatively modern area of study termed biophilic design18,21,22. But which urban greenspaces...

Larger, more complex shaped, connected, and closely spaced greenspaces were associated with lower rates of heat-related illness Shape, connectedness, and spatial spacing remained associated with ...

Specializing in lawn and clover seed for eco-lawns, eco-meadows, wildflower meadows and traditional grass lawns, appropriate for growing throughout most of North America. Also specializing in Pacific ...

Mayor John Lenher unveiled the kickoff for a renovation of Hat McLean Park and said the city will make a nearly $7,000,000 investment after purchasing 30 acres adjacent to the site. Council members Jim Schroeder, John Wells and Terry Osborne attended the event.

Larger, more complex shaped, connected, and closely spaced greenspaces were associated with lower rates of heat-related illness Shape, connectedness, and spatial spacing remained associated with ...