There is a growing body of knowledge revealing a sweeping array of connections between public health and green infrastructure – but not until now have the links between them been brought together in one comprehensive book. Green Infrastructure and Public Health provides an overview of current research and theories of the ecological relationships and mechanisms by which the environment influences human health and health behaviour.
Covering a broad spectrum of contemporary understanding, Coutts outlines:
- public health models that explicitly promote the importance of the environment to health
- ways in which the quality of the landscape is tied to health
- challenges of maintaining viable landscapes amidst a rapidly changing global environment
This book presents the case for fundamental human dependence on the natural environment and creates a bridge between contemporary science on the structure and form of a healthy landscape and the myriad ways that a healthy landscape supports healthy human beings. It presents ideal reading for students and practitioners of landscape architecture, urban design, planning, and health studies.
Introduction, Part I, 1. Green Infrastructure, Ecosystem Services, and the Study of their Contribution to Health, 2. The Evolution of the Ecology of Health, Part II, 3. Essential Ecosystem Services, 4. The Challenge of Climate Change, 5. Infectious Disease Ecology, 6. Physical Activity, 7. Mental Health, 8. Social Capital, Part III, 9. The Threats to Health Posed by Green Infrastructure, 10. Concluding Remarks, Part IV, 11. Public Health Promotion in England’s Community Forest Partnerships, 12. Valencia’s Jardín del Turia Park: From Natural Disaster to Valued Public Health Amenity, 13. Health and Hamburg’s Grünes Netz (Green Network) Plan
Biography
Christopher Coutts holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in public health and a PhD in Urban, Technological, and Environmental Planning. His research examining green infrastructure and health linkages has appeared in both peer-reviewed urban planning and public health outlets. He is an associate professor of urban and regional planning and a research associate in the Center for Demography and Population Health at Florida State University, USA.
