GreenUr: the Green Urban spaces and health tool

How important are green spaces for health? This question has been attracting increasing attention in political discussions and research activities.

Findings from several research projects point towards demonstrated effects of green spaces on health in various populations and on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. For example, green spaces have a protective health effect that can reduce natural-cause mortality by nearly 1%. This adds a public health perspective that is relevant to progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 11.7 on providing by 2030 universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

To quantify the impacts of green spaces at urban scale, WHO/Europe has developed GreenUr, a prototype tool to measure availability and accessibility of green spaces in cities and calculate their potential direct health effects – on mental health or mortality reduction, for example – as well as indirect impacts – for example, through ecosystem services.

The tool is designed for local authorities, urban planners, nongovernmental organizations, students and researchers, but can also serve as an educational, communication and scientific support.

Based on input from experts and on evidence reviews carried out by WHO/Europe, GreenUr is implemented as a plug-in for QGIS, a free and open-source desktop geographic information system (GIS).

GreenUr is currently under testing and available on request by emailing EUROLWE@WHO.INT

WHO European Healthy Cities Network

BlueHealth Toolbox