Living and working in and around significant green space has positive social effects including:

• Healthier people  Green urban communities have lower rates of obesity and long-term health-related diseases. Increasing air and water quality benefits everyone’s health especially those suffering from chronic conditions such as asthma. Green infrastructure has also been shown to increase cognition and attention of children.

• Less crime  Research has also shown that green communities have less crime. New research finds significant association between gray space reduction and decreased crime rates in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Youngstown, Ohio.

• Happier people  People who regularly interact with nature tend to be happier. Studies have shown that increased interaction with urban green spaces decrease the mental health burden of diseases like depression as well as general unhappiness and dissatisfaction with one’s life.