Greening streetscapes: cultivating active urban lifestyles

Abstract

An increasing sedentary lifestyle in recent years has resulted in more and more people not meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. Physical inactivity has various negative physical and mental health effects. Therefore, it is important to promote physical activity and active lifestyles. An inviting green living environment can help in this regard. Thus, it is relevant to investigate how green streetscapes can influence the physical activity of residents. Through a case study in the Northeast and Northwest neighbourhoods of Utrecht, six residents and four municipal employees were interviewed using qualitative research about both residents' experiences, perceptions, and behaviours and municipal visions, ambitions, and objectives related to street greenery and physical activity. The findings indicate that street greening can positively influence residents' physical activity levels by creating an appealing, inviting, enjoyable, and accessible living environment. Furthermore, this research shows that the municipality has an ambition to look at space differently, for example, regarding mobility aspects. The municipality is working on a pedestrian approach that should take shape through the implementation of green walking routes, giving every resident of Utrecht the opportunity to use these green structures close to home. Municipalities can use the insights gained for future greening projects. Further research could focus on the management and maintenance of the greenery, as this is a bottleneck for the implementation of street greenery.