Abstract
Flanders (Belgium) is an urbanised region characterised by urban sprawl: a conglomeration of rather small urban centres and villages, within a patchwork of scattered development, fragments of nature, forest or agricultural areas. Recently private urban green space in Flanders has been mapped (Somers, Van Valckenborgh, & Strosse, 2020), complementing existing datasets and knowledge on green space. Between walls, fences, buildings and streets a lot of green spaces can be discovered. Gardens occupy at least 10 percent of the land area in Flanders. Taking also the greenery of schools, care institutions, castle parks and companies into account, (private) green space makes up around one-fifth of the territory. A growing scientific evidence supports positive effects of these green spaces on health outcomes. Research indicates interaction with green space is associated with a lower mortality and morbidity (Kondo, Fluehr, McKeon, & Branas, 2018). Evidence also suggests green space availability is related to improved physical and mental health (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010; Lee & Maheswaran, 2010). Hence the development of urban green space is often advocated to be an inexpensive and effective way to improve neighbourhood liveability and to contribute to preventive health care. However green space is relatively scarce, especially in urban environments. Moreover, the presence of urban green space is not evenly distributed and accessible, also the level of quality can vary significantly. In line with the important European policy intention to avoid additional land take, further densification and infill development is to be expected. This could result in diminishing the supply of urban green spaces while at the same time increasing the demand due to the increase in population density. Our research aims to produce evidence on spatial differentiation of health promoting urban green space, suitable for actionable spatial planning in a context of densification. In literature and practice urban green space is approached and studied from very different angles, perspectives and goals, resulting in a wide range of methods for mapping and analysis. Drawing from a critical review of existing methods and practices, confronted with evidence on the linkage between green space and health, a framework for analysis is established. Using available (geo)data possible pathways for mapping and analysis at a regional level in Flanders (Belgium) are explored. The results provide insights on mapping and analysing the spatial distribution of urban green space from a health promotion perspective in a Western European urban setting as a stepping stone to guide more context specific research and spatial policy. REFERENCES Bowler, D. E., Buyung-Ali, L., Knight, T. M., & Pullin, A. S. (2010). A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health, 10, 456. Kondo, M., Fluehr, J., McKeon, T., & Branas, C. (2018). Urban green space and its impact on human health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(3). doi:10.3390/ijerph15030445 Lee, A., & Maheswaran, R. (2010). The health benefits of urban green spaces: a review of the evidence. Journal of Public Health, 54(3), 6. Somers, B., Van Valckenborgh, J., & Strosse, V. (2020). Garmon. The Garden Monitor - mapping and characterizing gardens using remote sensing. Brussels: Belgian Science Policy Office.
