The Importance of Green Space in Towns and Cities

Green spaces are important for people who live in all areas. But particularly those who live in towns and cities. This is because these are more densely populated with residential buildings, shops and concrete. Parks are an escape for people living in these environments, they allow them to be with nature and offer space to do physical activities.

Sports clubs particularly rely on green space to develop up-and-coming talent, in football for example inner South London has proven a hotbed for star players. They are also crucial for families and dog owners, offering nice walking routes. 

Without green spaces, people would have to trek further out of towns and cities, which can be inaccessible to those with disabilities. Transportation can also make it unaffordable for low-income households, meaning they would have little access to greenery. Everyone should be able to access a green space within a reasonable distance of their home.

Spending time in green spaces is proven to produce chemicals in the brain linked with low stress. It provides a location for you to escape inner city or town life to be with nature, it replaces the common concrete view to something more natural. You can meet your friends and family there for a social activity, as green spaces are great for picnics and coffee walks. You’ll often find workers in these areas during their lunch breaks, those in jobs that are attention-demanding particularly enjoy relaxing in more natural spaces.

Having access to green spaces encourages physical activity, it allows space for people to engage in recreational sport. For example; there will be local football, cricket and rugby clubs who play on the green spaces. There may also be yoga classes, running clubs and cycling groups for people who prefer individual sports. This, along with the walking that comes with green spaces will significantly improve the physical health of the area.

Urban temperatures tend to be around 1-2°C higher than that of rural areas. This is because the materials used to build large settlements like towns and cities absorb more of the sun's energy. The greenery provides shade for nearby buildings, the large trees are particularly effective as they have branches and leaves that cover a large radius. Plants also give off water vapour which cools the surrounding air through evaporation.

Plants are great at absorbing harmful gases that are produced from an active city or town, and in return they release oxygen. This is particularly important for big settlements as they have a lot of road traffic and industrial businesses. Without adequate green space, these places could become very polluted. Seriously affecting the local population's health and that of the wildlife.

The past winter was one of the wettest on record, as the UK saw regular showers over December, January and February. As a result, many towns and cities were flooded, with millions of pounds of damage caused. One of the ways flooding can be reduced is by having a large amount of green space. The grassland is great at absorbing water that otherwise would find itself in residential areas. Many people have complained the reduction in green space for the building of new homes has increased flooding.

It might be hard to imagine but before our towns and cities were founded, it was all natural land for all animals to enjoy. Towns and cities still have wildlife, so it is crucial that they have a place to live which is safe from large vehicles and crowds of people. Wildlife plays an important role in city life, some are good at keeping the pest population at a low rate. Whilst others will happily clean up unwanted food on the floor at no cost to the local council.