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Forests
Special Issues
Urban Forests and Human Health
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Urban Forests and Human Health

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 2111

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiao Zhang

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Guest Editor
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: social ecology; green infrastructure; environmental psychology
Dr. Danqing Li

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Guest Editor
Institute of Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: plant genomics, breeding, and biotechnology; climate change impacts on plants
Prof. Dr. Yiping Xia

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Guest Editor
Institute of Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: ornamental horticulture; bulbs; perennials; landscaping; planting design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Katsunori Furuya

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Guest Editor
Landscape Planning Laboratory, Chiba University, Matsudo, Chiba 271-8510, Japan
Interests: landscape planning; green spaces; post-COVID-19 condition; environmental planning; urban park
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban forests, comprising trees, green spaces, and natural elements within cities, have been recognized for their profound impact on public well-being. From air quality improvement to mental health benefits, urban forests play a pivotal role in enhancing our overall health and quality of life. This Special Issue aims to delve into the multifaceted relationship between urban forests and human health, exploring the potential of forests to mitigate health challenges in urban environments. Contributions to this Special Issue will shed light on the latest research and insights into the dynamic nexus between urban forests and human health. We invite researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share their innovative approaches, empirical studies, and visionary perspectives to collectively advance our understanding of this crucial relationship.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Air quality impact of urban forests;
  • Mental health benefits of urban green spaces;
  • Physical activity promotion through urban forests;
  • Urban planning strategies for maximizing health benefits;
  • Community engagement in urban forest development.

Dr. Jiao Zhang
Dr. Danqing Li
Prof. Dr. Yiping Xia
Prof. Dr. Katsunori Furuya
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban forests
  • human health
  • well-being
  • sustainable cities
  • green spaces

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4134 KiB  
Article
An Assessment Framework for Mapping the Air Purification Service of Vegetation at the Regional Scale
by Yu Liu, Wudong Zhao, Liwei Zhang, Xupu Li, Lixian Peng, Zhuangzhuang Wang, Yongyong Song, Lei Jiao and Hao Wang
Forests 2024, 15(2), 391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f15020391 - 19 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Efficiently mitigating the severe air pollution resulting from rapid progress is crucial for the sustainable development of the socio-ecological system. Recently, concerns about nature-based solutions have emerged in the research on the treatment of air pollution. Studies on the purification of PM2.5 [...] Read more.
Efficiently mitigating the severe air pollution resulting from rapid progress is crucial for the sustainable development of the socio-ecological system. Recently, concerns about nature-based solutions have emerged in the research on the treatment of air pollution. Studies on the purification of PM2.5 using vegetation currently concentrate on the individual scale of tree species or urban vegetation, ignoring the regional scale, which could better assist ecological governance. Therefore, taking the Fenwei Plain of China as the study area, an assessment framework of the air purification service’s spatial distribution reflecting regional vegetation was constructed. The dry deposition model and GeoDetector were used to quantify the spatial-temporal pattern and explore natural driving factors on the removal of PM2.5. The results showed that (1) the PM2.5 purification services offered by various types of vegetation exhibit notable variations. The average removal rates of PM2.5 by vegetation were 0.186%, 0.243%, and 0.435% in 2000, 2010, and 2021, respectively. (2) Meanwhile, a wide range of spatial mismatch exists between the PM2.5 concentration and PM2.5 removal. Insufficient supply regions of PM2.5 purification services account for 50% of the Fenwei Plain. (3) PM2.5 removal was strongly influenced by the types of vegetation and the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), followed by the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and less affected by meteorological factors; a strong joint effect was shown among the factors. The findings in this research provide a new perspective on regional air pollution management at the regional scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forests and Human Health)
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24 pages, 3181 KiB  
Article
Restorative Effects of Pocket Parks on Mental Fatigue among Young Adults: A Comparative Experimental Study of Three Park Types
by Jingyi Xu, Bing Qiu, Fan Zhang and Jinguang Zhang
Forests 2024, 15(2), 286; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f15020286 - 02 Feb 2024
Viewed by 834
Abstract
Urban parks have been proven to effectively reduce mental fatigue among city residents; however, there has been less focus on the mental health benefits offered by pocket parks in densely populated areas from a field experiment perspective. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence providing [...] Read more.
Urban parks have been proven to effectively reduce mental fatigue among city residents; however, there has been less focus on the mental health benefits offered by pocket parks in densely populated areas from a field experiment perspective. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence providing information on the environmental characteristics that support recovery from mental fatigue. This study was based on 80 young adults aged 19–25 years. Three types of pocket parks were selected: street corners, interblock spaces, and intrablock spaces. Through a field experiment with questionnaire collection, physiological (BP, HR, and LF/HF) and psychological indicators (FS-14 and VAS) were used to explore the relationship between various pocket park features and respondents’ mental fatigue recovery. This study investigated the restorative effects of 10 environmental features by collecting questionnaires. The results suggested that different types of pocket parks have the recovery effect of pocket parks. Four environmental factors, namely, vegetation colour (β = −0.472, p = 0.002), vegetation coverage (β = 0.298, p = 0.046), resting facility comfort (β = −0.336, p = 0.028), and plant species (β = −0.437, p = 0.003), were more predictive of mental fatigue recoverability. However, factors such as neighbourhood hygiene and spatial privacy did not show significant predictive effects. Our findings provide robust evidence for urban park planning and design. In the future landscape design of high-density urban areas, greater emphasis can be placed on the construction of pocket parks. The rational selection and configuration of environmental factors that contribute to recovery effects in pocket parks will contribute to meeting the psychological health service needs of high-density urban populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forests and Human Health)
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