Urban Green Spaces as Nature-Based Health Interventions

Context

Urban green spaces are important for many reasons. They help to cool urban areas and reduce air pollution, they can contribute to food security and reduced flood risk, and they also provide spaces for recreation and socialising. This wide range of benefits means that urban green space is beneficial for the health and wellbeing of urban residents. Personal health and wellbeing benefits can be enhanced by ensuring that urban green spaces are accessible and high quality in terms of facilities and the natural environments they provide.

Lahore is traditionally well-known as the "City of Gardens”, but rapid urbanisation has had adverse effects on its green spaces and reduced their accessibility to many residents. The loss and degradation of green spaces in the city is detrimental not only to the city's environment, but also to the health and wellbeing and heritage of its residents. This research will improve our interdisciplinary understanding of how urban green spaces help to mitigate climate-induced health risks, improve environmental quality, and contribute to more sustainable approaches to planning for a climate-resilient and healthy Lahore.

This research is being undertaken to address these critical gaps. By examining how urban green spaces function as nature-based interventions, the study seeks to identify their role in reducing environmental risks, improving human well-being, and strengthening climate resilience in Lahore. The project aligns with global sustainability agendas, particularly SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action), and aims to provide evidence-based insights to support urban planning, policy development, and sustainable city management.

Aims and Objectives

The overarching aim of the collaboration is to assess the role of urban green spaces as nature-based interventions in improving environment and health, enhancing public well-being, and strengthening climate resilience in Lahore, with the aim of supporting sustainable and resilient urban development. The specific objectives are:

1. To analyse spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of urban pollution islands and the urban heat island effect in Lahore.
2. To Identify the role of urban green spaces as nature-based solutions (NBS) in mitigating urban heat intensity and reducing air pollution exposure in Lahore. 
3. To assess NBS configurations that optimize cooling and pollution mitigation benefits under various socio-environmental constraints. 
4. To develop outlines for a research paper and proposal for a future joint research grant to scale the work regionally. 
5. To develop a strategy for a more durable collaboration between the University of York and the University of the Punjab, Lahore, based on co-supervision of postgraduate research students and further collaborative research projects.