People live longer and healthier lives when they reside in nurturing environments, full of greenery. Few observers would dispute that point; it haslong been widely accepted. However, links between leafy surroundings and health outcomes have been hard to “prove” through scientific research because the latter are generally not measurable until many years have
passed. But this “stumbling block” was overcome by scholars from the Division of Public Health at the Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
These researchers analyzed the five year survival rate of 3144 people born in either1903, 1908, 1913 or 1918.. And they concluded that subjects who had easy access to urban green enjoyed greater longevity than did other subjects. This (statistically significant) connectionbheld even when the resident’s age, sex and martial status and socioeconomic status were taken into account.
What factors might explain this connection between urban green and longevity. Well, this association might simply be a function of the cleaner air and cool breezes that parks and public spaces bring in their wake. Or, it might be that, as many have claimed, nature has curative powers for people in any grouping. Then again, however, something else might be at work. Possibly, what the Japanese researchers describe as “walkable” green is living up to its name.
The subjects in this study might be benefiting from the opportunity to exercise in nearby parks and other public spaces. And there is abundant evidence that physical activity cannot only help seniors maintain their physical vigor. It can, likewise, prove, If not a cure for, at least a means of controlling depression. And if they start slow it can be appropriate even for individuals who face physical challenges.
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