Urban greening for health and wellbeing in low-income communities: A baseline study in Melbourne, Australia
David Kelly, Melanie Davern, Leila Mahmoudi Farahani, Carl Higgs, Cecily Maller
Abstract
Urban greening is a popular nature-led regeneration policy based on the assumption that provision of greenspace improves the health and wellbeing of proximate communities. Entangled within these objectives are environmental justice principles that seek to remedy historical and contemporary concerns related to contaminated areas of post-industrial cities. This paper draws upon findings from an evaluation study of an urban greening project in a socio-economically disadvantaged suburb with a history of toxic contamination. Our aim is to understand if better and more greenspace derives improved social outcomes over time. Central to this inquiry is an attention to resident perspectives of the environment before and after greening to understand if meeting expectations of regeneration and environmental justice impacts upon subjective wellbeing.