The health benefits of urban nature: how much do we need?

Abstract

Over 30 years of research has shown that urban nature is a promising tool for enhancing the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of the world’s growing urban population. However, little is known about the type and amount of nature people require in order to receive different health benefits, preventing the development of recommendations for minimum levels of exposure and targeted city planning guidelines for public health outcomes. Dose-response modelling, where a dose of nature is modelled against a health response, could provide a key method to address this knowledge gap. In this overview we explore how ‘nature dose’ and health response have been conceptualized, and examine the evidence for different shapes of dose-response curves. We highlight the critical need to move beyond simplistic measures of nature dose to understand how urban nature can be manipulated to enhance human health.