Dear Colleagues,

Cities are widely recognized as risky environments for human beings. Risks to health and wellbeing are measured in three groups of indices: physiological, such as through heart rate variability that affects the autonomic nervous system, salivary cortisol, and electric conductivity; emotional, such as sense of discomfort, cheerfulness, and relaxation; and cognitive, such as through memory tests and perceived restoration index. The environmental factors that are analyzed in studies include physical factors like noise, thermal load, and air pollution, and social factors like sense of discomfort, crime, transportation, and access to health services. Some studies even argue that stress and risk to health are intrinsic to urban environments and that restoration is intrinsic to green environments. Additional discussion then develops about the spaces that can be greened and their effect on city environments. The effect of size and distribution of parks, vegetation on houses walls and roofs, and the effects of different types of vegetation are also discussed.

Despite the large number of studies on the topic, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how to optimize the greening of cities for the best effect on health.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to add knowledge to the knowhow regarding greening of our cities. We invite authors to raise awareness on different aspects of the problem or to contribute relevant knowledge to any of the aspects of this issue as mentioned in the introduction.

Prof. Dr. Izhak Schnell
Guest Editor

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• urban greenery
• risk to health
• wellbeing
• environmental risk factors