Green Infrastructure and Health & Wellbeing Influences on an Ageing Population

Understanding the value of urban green and blue spaces for older people

Project Summary

Green infrastructure, including blue (water-based) and green public space, can directly and indirectly influence health and wellbeing.

However, access to health and wellbeing benefits is not shared equally amongst the population, particularly in urban areas. People aged 65 and over are most likely to suffer from poor health, yet this group may be the least likely to benefit from green and blue spaces.

Through the GHIA project, researchers with a range of academic specialisms worked with project partners from Greater Manchester to investigate the value of urban green and blue spaces in connection with the health and wellbeing of older people.

The project aimed to understand the benefits and values of urban green and blue spaces for older people and how green and blue spaces’ attributes, interventions and specific greening projects can be best used to support healthy ageing in urban areas.

The final project report, which sets out the recommendations and key findings, can be viewed and downloaded below.

Academic Outputs

M. Dennis, D. Barlow, G. Cavan, P. Cook, A. Gilchrist, et al. (2018). Mapping Urban Green Infrastructure: A Novel Landscape-Based Approach to Incorporating Land Use and Land Cover in the Mapping of Human-Dominated Systems. Land. 7(1), pp.17-17.

Dennis, M., Barker, A., Anderson, J., Ashton, J.C., Cavan, G., Cook, P.A., French, D., Gilchrist, A., James, P., Phillipson, C., Tzoulas, K., Wheater, C.P., Wossink, A., Lindley, S. ‘Integrating knowledge on green infrastructure, health and well-being in ageing populations: principles for research and practice.‘ Ambio,

Other resources