Estudio comparativo de la relación del verde urbano con la salud mental percibida de la población de 2 parques del sur y norte de Quito, 2022

Abstract

This comparative study relates the quality of urban greenery in two parks located in the city of Quito with the self-perceived mental health of people who frequent these places, the results obtained in this research show that there is a better perception of individual mental health in people surveyed in the Las Cuadras Park which is located in the south of the capital and has features such as several quality green areas and greater extension, This is in contrast to the results obtained in La Juventud Park, which is located in the north of the city and has a deficient quality of urban greenery, being a space used preferably for team sports, since it is partially waterproofed with cement due to the courts and paths that exist within it. Although the percentage results of self-perceived mental health do not differ greatly between the surveys conducted in Las Cuadras and La Juventud parks, it can be concluded that people who visit green spaces such as Las Cuadras park more frequently are better able to manage emotions such as depression, anxiety or stress, compared to people who frequent permeabilized spaces. In addition to the improvement in the self-perception of mental health, green areas have other benefits such as better thermal comfort or ecosystem services such as carbon dioxide absorption, due to plant species that act as insulation from ultra violet radiation on sunny days and carbon dioxide absorption respectively. It should be noted that older adults visit spaces with green areas to a greater extent than other segments of the population. It is also demonstrable that the frequency with which people visit parks has a direct correlation with the distance from their homes, i.e., the closer a park is to the individual's residence, the greater the frequency of visits, which will result in a better quality of life for surrounding populations than for people who are far away from these green spaces.