Health Effects of Participation in Creating Urban Green Spaces—A Systematic Review

Tobias Ihle (), Ellen Jahr, Dörte Martens, Holger Muehlan and Silke Schmidt
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Tobias Ihle: Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
Ellen Jahr: Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
Dörte Martens: Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
Holger Muehlan: Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
Silke Schmidt: Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: The participation of citizens in creating urban green spaces is a promising approach to promoting health and wellbeing while facilitating the development of equitable cities more prepared for the challenges of climate change. This systematic review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge by synthesizing and summarizing scholarly articles reporting studies on the health effects of participation in green space creation. A review protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO (registration number CRD42023454363). Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six databases for studies published since 2003. After screening 2676 records, we found 133 studies matching our inclusion criteria and summarized the findings on health effects in qualitative and quantitative research, differentiating between study types, population types, and intervention types. In addition, we explored secondary outcomes mentioned in the included articles. The majority of studies reported positive impacts of participatory green space creation on general, mental, and physical health. Moreover, many studies reported other personal and social benefits. The results of this review indicate that the participatory creation of urban green spaces represents a promising approach to promoting health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, further high-quality, quantitative research is required to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between participatory green space activities and health, particularly with regard to the benefits of specific intervention types and subpopulations.

Keywords: green space; participation; co-creation; health; quality of life; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:12:p:5000-:d:1413106

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