Living near a good park drastically reduces the wellbeing gap between rich and poor, research shows.
The mental health gulf that divides those in wealth and poverty is 40 per cent narrower for people reporting good access to green space, according to a study from Glasgow and Edinburgh universities published this week.
Analysing responses from 21,294 urban residents in 34 European nations, academics at the Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health found compelling evidence that open spaces helped to level health inequality.
Using the European Quality of Life Survey, researchers charted mental wellbeing and economic status against how easy it was for respondents to access five different neighbourhood facilities or services. These included public transport and postal, banking and cultural services.
But it was only access to green or recreational space which had a link to narrower inequalities in wellbeing, according to the paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
