“The euPOLIS vision: Improving well-being with nature-based solutions” article can now be found on the Open Access Goverment platform, in its January 2023 issue.

“The adverse effects of urbanization have taken a toll on people’s mental and physical health, here’s how co-design and nature-based solutions can lead the way in mitigating these risks

Back in the 1800’s people started moving from rural to urban areas. This urbanization process was motivated by many factors, including better education, housing, access to work, and less time and expense of commuting and transportation. For many years, an increasing trend of urbanization was observed, followed by set of harmful phenomena, such as alienation, increased cost of living, and mass marginalization. Today, we are facing the consequences that emerged.

Urbanization is affecting mind, body and soul

The adverse effects of urbanization took a toll on peoples’ mental and physical health. On the one hand, mental health is affected by stressors and factors, such as overcrowded and polluted environment, high levels of violence, and reduced social support. On the other hand, urbanization is associated with increased risk of asthma, due to the exposure to air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Both cases require for prompt actions/solutions…”

To read the full article, click HERE.

To check out the entire issue, click HERE.