A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits

Humans and nature have always been connected. Meanwhile, with the industrial revolution, landscapes have become more artificial, reducing the human–nature relationship. Urban design should follow biophilic principles to reconnect people with nature, mitigate climate change, improve air quality, rest...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Catarina de Sousa Silva, Simon Bell, Lenka Lackóová, Thomas Panagopoulos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1230
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849432579814457344
author Catarina de Sousa Silva
Simon Bell
Lenka Lackóová
Thomas Panagopoulos
author_facet Catarina de Sousa Silva
Simon Bell
Lenka Lackóová
Thomas Panagopoulos
author_sort Catarina de Sousa Silva
collection DOAJ
description Humans and nature have always been connected. Meanwhile, with the industrial revolution, landscapes have become more artificial, reducing the human–nature relationship. Urban design should follow biophilic principles to reconnect people with nature, mitigate climate change, improve air quality, restore biodiversity loss, and solve social problems. Poor air quality affects people’s health, and vegetation plays a crucial role in purifying the air. Similarly, contact with nature benefits physical and mental health and well-being. However, there is no consensus on how urban design can be beneficial for improving air quality and human health. This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of evidence linking nature-based solutions (NBSs), air quality, carbon neutrality, and human health and well-being. Five hundred articles published between 2000 and 2024 were analysed. A number of publications studied the benefits of green infrastructure in improving air quality, carbon sequestration, or the influence of green spaces on human health. The topic of NBSs has recently emerged related to air quality, health, and promoting physical activity, as has accessibility to green spaces and mental health, also associated with blue spaces and residential gardens. The results revealed the gaps in the literature on how to design green and blue spaces to tackle environmental and public health crises simultaneously.
format Article
id doaj-art-b2fe9abb7bdb4d5ca7272635e1e5a309
institution Kabale University
issn 2073-445X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Land
spelling doaj-art-b2fe9abb7bdb4d5ca7272635e1e5a3092025-08-20T03:27:19ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-06-01146123010.3390/land14061230A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health BenefitsCatarina de Sousa Silva0Simon Bell1Lenka Lackóová2Thomas Panagopoulos3Research Center for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, PortugalLandscape Architecture, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, EstoniaFaculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, SlovakiaResearch Center for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, PortugalHumans and nature have always been connected. Meanwhile, with the industrial revolution, landscapes have become more artificial, reducing the human–nature relationship. Urban design should follow biophilic principles to reconnect people with nature, mitigate climate change, improve air quality, restore biodiversity loss, and solve social problems. Poor air quality affects people’s health, and vegetation plays a crucial role in purifying the air. Similarly, contact with nature benefits physical and mental health and well-being. However, there is no consensus on how urban design can be beneficial for improving air quality and human health. This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of evidence linking nature-based solutions (NBSs), air quality, carbon neutrality, and human health and well-being. Five hundred articles published between 2000 and 2024 were analysed. A number of publications studied the benefits of green infrastructure in improving air quality, carbon sequestration, or the influence of green spaces on human health. The topic of NBSs has recently emerged related to air quality, health, and promoting physical activity, as has accessibility to green spaces and mental health, also associated with blue spaces and residential gardens. The results revealed the gaps in the literature on how to design green and blue spaces to tackle environmental and public health crises simultaneously.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1230green infrastructurenature-based solutionsbiophiliaurban planningurban green and blue spaces
spellingShingle Catarina de Sousa Silva
Simon Bell
Lenka Lackóová
Thomas Panagopoulos
A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
Land
green infrastructure
nature-based solutions
biophilia
urban planning
urban green and blue spaces
title A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
title_full A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
title_fullStr A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
title_full_unstemmed A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
title_short A Bibliometric Analysis on Designing Urban Green and Blue Spaces Related to Environmental and Public Health Benefits
title_sort bibliometric analysis on designing urban green and blue spaces related to environmental and public health benefits
topic green infrastructure
nature-based solutions
biophilia
urban planning
urban green and blue spaces
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1230
work_keys_str_mv AT catarinadesousasilva abibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT simonbell abibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT lenkalackoova abibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT thomaspanagopoulos abibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT catarinadesousasilva bibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT simonbell bibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT lenkalackoova bibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits
AT thomaspanagopoulos bibliometricanalysisondesigningurbangreenandbluespacesrelatedtoenvironmentalandpublichealthbenefits