Interim Report on Urban Nature-based Solutions & Health: Scoping promising areas of synthesis & future research

Urban nature-based solutions (NbS) can provide a number of human health benefits; however data on these benefits and their use in NbS planning and implementation is scattered. Our research team assessed the state-of-the-science regarding human physical and mental health benefits provided by a variety of different types of NbS. In doing so, the team also identified science gaps and needs in this space. Two methods were used: 1) systematic review and screening of the literature and 2) outreach to organizations that work on urban health and/or NbS. In this presentation, we report out on the interim findings, including sharing challenges and opportunities identified by the organizations we communicated with.    

Impact/Purpose

This presentation addresses the topic of how urban nature-based solutions (NbS) can impact human health. We did a literature search to find papers that studied the impact of a variety of NbS on physical and mental health endpoints. We also talked with internal EPA and external partners to understand their information needs. We found 1880 papers at the intersection of NbS and health. The most common physical health endpoint was physical activity and the most common mental health endpoint was stress/anxiety. Partners highlighted a number of needs, including the need for an understanding of project-scale potential health benefits. Our report suggests ways forward for summarizing and synthesizing existing evidence about the health effects of NbS and where new evidence could be generated. The report can be used by EPA program offices that work with states, cities, and communities to help them understand potential health benefits of urban NbS.

Citation

Panko, R., C. Gould, M. Matsler, M. Meloy, L. Moorhead, N. Olson, Sam Penry, AND C. Ridley. Interim Report on Urban Nature-based Solutions & Health: Scoping promising areas of synthesis & future research. Follow-up meetings with participating Intermediary Organizations, Washington, DC, July 24, 2025.

• INTERIM REPORT ON URBAN NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS & HEALTH.PPTX