Study Confirms that Green Spaces Are Good for People, Not Just Fish

Sometimes when people learn that my job is to help clean America's waterways, they assume I care about more about fish than people.

The truth is that the best way to keep dirty stormwater and other urban pollution out of our rivers and off our beaches is to use green infrastructure: things like pocket parks, green roofs, street trees, and rain gardens. It turns out that these green measures have tremendous benefits for people as well.

A recent study done at the University of Rochester, for example, concluded that when people come into contact with nature, even in the simple form of a tree or potted plant, they become kinder, more generous, and more community-minded than when they focus on artificial, human-made surroundings.

I have read similar studies in the past. Many researchers have concluded that natural settings make people happier and healthier, but this is the first one to recognize that green spaces can make people nicer.

The Rochester study confirms something I already knew about the importance of green infrastructure in our communities. But it also confirmed something I knew about myself.

After spending most of my day in office buildings in Washington, DC, I relish the chance to get outside. I live in suburbia, but when I walk along the Matthew Henson bike/walk trail, I feel transported. And when I stroll through the lovely county-owned garden near my house, I start to unwind, and I start to smile at the other people who are enjoying nature just like I am.

I am sure many of you have favorite escapes too, places that help you relax in the midst of stressful city living. Indeed, most of us know from experience that having tree-lined streets and nearby parks make urban neighborhoods much more livable, not to mention more valuable. But green oases aren't just pretty. They have real and lasting social benefits.

The Rochester study included four separate tests, and in each one of them, the people who were exposed to natural elements said they valued close relationships and community more than the people who were exposed to spaces devoid of nature. But this is only the latest study. Others have found links between green infrastructure and lower crime rates, less violence, faster recovery from illness, and better grades for students.

The authors of the Rochester study believe these findings have major implications for city planning. "There's a real value to having green space. It serves the community," said Dr. Richard Ryan, one of the lead researchers.

Keep this in mind the next time your community is weighing the benefits of new green infrastructure. Using rain gardens to stop dirty stormwater from ending up in your city's river isn't just good for the fish.  It is good for you too.

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