Original Article

Analyzing the Impact of Green Roof Functions on the Citizens' Mental Health in Metropolitan Cities

Abstract

Background: The fast-growing trend of urbanizations and the dwellers' stressful lifestyle in megacities has led to several drawbacks from the mental health perspective. Provided that there is a significant association between the green environment and mental health, we investigated different functions of a green roof from two perspectives of well-being and environment.

Methods: After investigating on different functions of the green roof and classifying them into two sections, a self questionnaire survey was conducted in May 2020 on 100 citizens of the Seoul metropolitan area after, South Korea visiting the green roof. They were asked to clarify their perception of the different functions of green roof gardens. The statistical analysis was performed to show the differences in perception and how each variable can contribute to such differences. 

Results: The results illustrated a high satisfaction rate among the visitors of green roofs. The perception of the well-being functions was higher than those of environmental functions. However, age group can alter the perception significantly, as the senior citizens significantly perceived the well-being functions. In contrast, the awareness of the environmental functions was higher among the younger participants. 

Conclusion: Providing practical information about the ideal functions of green roofs, this study offered helpful insight for the planners who focus on society’s general health and work in two different sections: developing the city landscape and mental health improvement.

1. U N (2018). 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html
2. Ostoić SK, van den Bosch CC, Vuletić D, et al (2017). Citizens’ perception of and sat-isfaction with urban forests and green space: Results from selected Southeast European cities. Urban For Urban Green, 1(23):93-103.
3. Krefis AC, Augustin M, Schlünzen KH, Oßenbrügge J, Augustin J (2018). How does the urban environment affect health and well-being? A systematic review. Urban Sci, 2(1):21.
4. Ma B, Zhou T, Lei S, Wen Y, Htun TT (2019). Effects of urban green spaces on residents’ well-being. Environ Dev Sustain, 21(6):2793-809.
5. Bojić S (2018). Organic Agriculture Contribution to the Rural Tourism Development in the North of Montenegro. J Econ Bus, 1 (3): 222-233.
6. World Health Organization. Centre for Health Development, & World Health Organization (2010). Hidden cities: unmasking and overcoming health inequities in urban settings. World Health Organization.
7. Samuels I (2001). 'New City Spaces' The Danish Architectural Press. Springer.
8. Gehris J, Kress J, Swalm R (2010). Students’ views on physical development and physical self-concept in adventure-physical education. J Teach Phys Educ, 29(2):146-66.
9. Grahn P, Stigsdotter UA (2003). Landscape planning and stress. Urban For Urban Green, 2(1):1-8.
10. Nations United (2015). "Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development." New York: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
11. Kaplan S (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. J Environ Psychol, 15(3): 169-182.
12. Rydin Y, Bleahu A, Davies M, et al (2012). Shaping cities for health: complexity and the planning of urban environments in the 21st century. The Lancet, 2;379(9831): 2079-108.
13. Fernandez-Cañero R, Emilsson T, Fernandez-Barba C, Machuca MÁ (2013). Green roof systems: A study of public attitudes and preferences in southern Spain. J Environ Manage, 15;(128): 106-15.
14. Rahman SR, Ahmad H (2012). Green roofs as urban antidote: A review on aesthetic, environmental, economic and social benefits. Paper presented at the Sixth South East Asian Technical Consortium in King Mongkut University of Technology Thonbur, Bangkok, Thailand.
15. Berardi U, GhaffarianHoseini A, Ghaffarian Hoseini A (2014). State-of-the-art analysis of the environmental benefits of green roofs. Appl Energy, 15;(115): 411-28.
16. Manso M, Castro-Gomes J (2015). Green wall systems: A review of their characteristics. Renew Sustain Energy Rev, 1;(41): 863-71.
17. Shafique M, Kim R, Rafiq M (2018). Green roof benefits, opportunities and challenges–A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 1;(90): 757-73.
18. Vijayaraghavan K (2016). Green roofs: A critical review on the role of components, benefits, limitations and trends. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 1(57): 740-752.
19. Schell L, Cotton S, Luxmoore M (2012). Outdoor adventure for young people with a mental illness. Early Interv Psychiatry, 6(4): 407-14.
20. Seoul Metropolitan Government (2020). Seoul population and demographic data. Available from: http://english.seoul.go.kr/get-to-know-us/statistics-of-seoul/seoul-statistics-by-category/
21. Rii HU, Ahn JS (2002). Urbanization and its impact on Seoul, Korea. In 2001 Forum on Urbanizing World and UN Human Habitat II. New York: Columbia University. pp. 83-100.
22. Currie BA, Bass B (2008). Estimates of air pollution mitigation with green plants and green roofs using the UFORE model. Urban Ecosyst, 11(4):409-22.
23. Nowak DJ, McHale PJ, Ibarra M, Crane D, Stevens JC, Luley CJ (1998). Modeling the effects of urban vegetation on air pollution. In: Air pollution modeling and its application XII . Springer, Boston, MA, pp. 399-407.
24. Wolf ID, Wohlfart T (2014). Walking, hiking and running in parks: A multidisciplinary assessment of health and well-being benefits. Landsc Urban Plan, 1(130): 89-103.
25. Abraham A, Sommerhalder K, Abel T (2010). Landscape and well-being: a scoping study on the health-promoting impact of outdoor environments. Int J Public Health, 55(1): 59-69.
26. Levenstein S, Prantera C, Varvo V, et al (1993). Development of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire: a new tool for psychosomatic research. J Psychosom Res, 37(1): 19-32.
27. Urry J (1990). The tourist Gaze: Leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London: Sage publication.
28. McCabe S, Johnson S (2013). The happiness factor in tourism: Subjective well-being and social tourism. Ann Tour Res, (41): 42-65.
29. Wood L, Hooper P, Foster S, Bull F (2017). Public green spaces and positive mental health–investigating the relationship between access, quantity and types of parks and mental wellbeing. Health Place, (48): 63-71.
30. Rashid R, Ahmed MH, Khan MS (2010). Green roof and its impact on urban environmental sustainability: the case in Bangladesh. World J Manag, 2(2): 59-69.
31. King J (2018). Measuring mental health outcomes in built environment research-Choosing the right screening assessment tools. Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health.
32. D’Alessandro D, Buffoli M, Capasso L, Fara GM, Rebecchi A, Capolongo S (2015). Green areas and public health: improving wellbeing and physical activity in the urban context. Epidemiol Prev, 1;39(4):8-13.
33. Yuen HK, Jenkins GR (2020). Factors associated with changes in subjective well-being immediately after urban park visit. Int J Environ Health Res, 30(2): 134-145.
Files
IssueVol 50 No 5 (2021) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v50i5.6107
Keywords
Green roof Metropolitan cities Mental health Green environment Well-being Sustainability

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Rezaei M, Emmanuel N, Kim J, Kim DH. Analyzing the Impact of Green Roof Functions on the Citizens’ Mental Health in Metropolitan Cities. Iran J Public Health. 2021;50(5):900-907.