Social and Psychological Dimensions of Urban Green Spaces and the Impact in Living Environment of Epistemological Studies

Many epidemiological studies have found that people living in environments with more green space report better physical and mental health than those with less green space. However, the association between visits to green space and mental health has seldom been studied. The environment surrounding residences and its recreational and commuting opportunities are believed to affect human health and well-being. Urban green spaces hold great potential for promoting an active life style that allows urban residents to achieve important health benefits. The type of urban green space that is most effective to reach the signals is still unclear. The objective was to systematically review the literature examining the relationship between quantity and quality of green spaces in the living environment and three health outcomes: perceived general health, perceived mental health, and (all-cause) mortality. This paper focuses on urban green space as one important type of urban open space and its relevance for human well-being. The result of research show further research should focus on exploring relationships between more detailed character-is tics of green space and more specific health outcomes in different population subgroups and in different countries. Quality of urban living and residents’ way of life involves a complex interrelationship between a wide variety of physical environments and social opportunities. These, in turn, determine residents’ physical and psychological needs. Due to unhealthy lifestyle, health promotion has become a prime concern in Malaysia because of the increase in life threatening illnesses. A proper green space planning is needed so that it facilitates urban residents with spaces for recreation, social and leisure activities. Unfortunately, Malaysia has not yet achieved a satisfactory degree of green space design and development to facilitate residents with a healthy environment. There are few restrictions on accessing and having contact with the urban green space due to planning and design issues.