Open spaces have been put under scrutiny during recent years. Some people suggest open spaces are important as they give them comfort and are good places for socialising. On the other hand, others might argue that open spaces are not as good as they seem and they are not important in their lives. As defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Open space is any open piece of land that is undeveloped and is accessible to the public” (EPA, 2006). Photos from Auckland CBD include green spaces (urban parks, walkways), retailers and restaurants have been taken and selected to solely support the discussion of open spaces in the urban area of a city. This essay seeks to explore the recreational, environmental, economic and …show more content…
Whether it’s a long day after work or study or family gathering on a sunny weekend, open space is often a good spot for social interactions such as chatting with friends, reading a book on the grass and having a lovely family picnic. Trees in open space give many people a sense of comfort and reduce their anxiety and stress levels (see Figure1). Open space also offers a place for many physical activities, such as running (Figure2), walking, playing basketball which improves people’s physical health. According to a 2015 study conducted by Grazulevicine et al, they discovered that the risk of people getting high heart rate, coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular diseases has been significantly lowered by participating in physical activities in urban green space instead of in a chaotic city environment (Grazulevicine, et.al, 2015b). In addition, Wolf (2008) also found out physical activities are essential in open space user’s lives and can benefit them greatly. For those who are engaged in physical activities in urban spaces, they are three times more likely to achieve their desired exercise levels than those who do it …show more content…
They play an important role in maintaining the balance of biodiversity by providing habitats for many species. The well-managed Pond in Viaduct Harbour provide sufficient amount of essential nutrients such as nitrate and phosphorus and clean water for wilds species (Figure 3). Ducks won’t live without them and will die from starvation. Urban open spaces also protect water quality. Bioswales(Figure4) are often situated next to site walks and used to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff by essentially moving stormwater from place to place through vegetation and soil filtration. By doing so, they ensure there are less likely to more pathogens, toxic chemicals, oil that directly transfer into the drainage system without being detected in the wastewater treatment plants and harming the water quality for both human and
Physical activity is one of the last things some people worry about. With the busy lives and constant advances in electronics, there are thousands of other things to do before going for a fun pops into a person’s mind. But at what point do you really need to go for that dreaded run? Physical inactivity has shown increased risk in premature death, as well as increased risk in a number of different diseases. Not only does physical activity provide a person with obvious physical benefits, but it also helps Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and people with depression by reducing symptoms.
““Well, they had a point. You are fat and disgusting!” The therapist announced. Patricia was sobbing, eyes red and nose runny...“Come on… Let’s go. We aren’t putting up with that!” her father...opened the door and ushered the family through. The therapist just observed and no more was heard from him…[Her nervous breakdown] was a result of long term bullying leading to an episode of being run out of school by a gang of boys. They threatened to kill her with a crowbar, sticks and wooden planks. She felt like a hunted fox” (shazwellyn.hubpages.com). No matter how hard a parent might try to help their child, whether they’re being bullied or are the bully, the consequences should not fall on the people who raise them because the victims have to do what they can to make up for what they’ve done or what they’ve suffered. The city of Monona, Wisconsin has proposed a new law that tickets and fines the parents for failing to respond properly to their child’s poor behavior. A behavioral and personal change consulting specialist, Mr. Michael Harmann, hypothesized that bullying behavior is typically an effort to cover up the bully's own vulnerability. It's a primitive mindset that wants to make you pay when you show vulnerability and since bullying mostly occurs under the legal age, that’s enough to say that higher levels of authority don’t have control over the thoughts and actions that bullies use as an outlet for their own pain because it goes against the Constitution. The key to helping the children we feel so sorry for is to heal the bully before he turns into a monster and the only way to help the perpetrator is to make him face his motivation to bully. “If you think about it, a great strategy to avoid being rejected is to reject everyon...
With such industrialization and the grit and grime of the city life, city planners decided that more “green space” was needed in the most centralized locations. This included small parks, ornate flower gardens, planting of trees, and lush vegetation. These areas of supposed relaxation and tranquility were highly controlled, though, and were illusions of the rural lifestyle, designed to distract citizens from dirty life and allow them to practice good manners and remain solitary.
The level of the population’s level of physical activity is becoming a major public health concern in the United States (Wahlgren, 2011). As a result of urban sprawl, Americans rely heavily on personal vehicles to travel to work or other destinations. This is leading to a sedentary life style for the public as they take to their cars to travel to their destination. The public’s perception of the environments in which they live in are likely influencing their behaviors resulting in their dependance on personal vehicles. (Wahlgren, 2011). The physical environment and peoples’ levels of physical activity are directly connected. Low density zoning and auto-dependent development is resulting in the promotion of sedentary life styles. Most activities, like commuting to work or shopping, requires the use of a personal vehicle because of the area’s isolation in residential zones and commercial zones (Ewing, 2010). Alternative modes like walking or bicycling are rather impractical, as the areas often have little to no sidewalks or other pedestrian friendly amenities (Marshall, 2009). The Low density design is developed because residential homes have fewer units per acre and commercial buildings tend to only be a couple of stories and spaced further apart. The sizes of lots tend to be bigger to accommodate large parking lots that are often oversized and unsafe for pedestrians.
An article published by the Journal of Rural Health established that 40% of adults living in rural areas are obese compared to the 33% of adults living in urban areas due to the design and formation of urban and suburban areas. Many features of suburban development, such as the lack of street connectivity and the lack of sidewalks are associated with decreased physical activity. An assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Christie Befort, states that "Access is often about travel time in a rural area, but it can also be that there's no place to go -- literal physical isolation.” The lack of community parks results in a drastic difference of physical activity between suburban and urban residents. All community recreational centers are resources for physical activity while also being publicly provided. Urban areas contain more parks than suburban areas, though most are unused. In 2005, a total of 6,545 park visitors were observed and results show that rural parks had more frequent visits, though they were less active. The differences suggest that findings from park and physical activity studies in urban areas should not be considered representative of their rural
Globally coastal wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate, the problem is most of society does not realize the value of these precious wetlands. Coastal wetlands provide an important role in the coastal ecosystem. “Coastal wetlands provide critical services such as absorbing energy from coastal storms, preserving shorelines, protecting human populations and infrastructure, supporting commercial seafood harvests, absorbing pollutants and serving as critical habitat for migratory bird populations”(Anonymous, 2011). Coastal wetlands are an economical asset as well as an environmental one.
Have you ever felt stuck? Wherever you are, it’s the absolute last place you want to be. In the book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless feels stuck just like the average everyday person may feel. Chris finds his escape plan to the situation and feels he will free himself by going off to the wild. I agree with the author that Chris McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with many people very well, but he did seem somewhat incompetent, even though he survived for quite some time.
Not only is walking a simple way to exercise, but it also has a lot of benefits, “The cardiovascular benefits of walking are biologically plausible; like other forms of regular moderate exercise, walking improves cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, vascular stiffness and inflammation, and mental stress” (Harvard Health.). Despite not breaking the biggest sweat during and after walking, given the benefits, it is obvious that walking is an effective way to exercise. Although walking is minimal and often overlooked as a way to exercise, it can decrease cardiac risk factors and improves mental health due to endorphins released while exercising. Walking is a way to increase heart rate and exercise the heart to make it pump blood more efficiently, which leads to a reduction in heart problems. By fighting obesity, walking also has the ability to create a higher quality of life, more body confidence, and decrease knee and heart problems for overweight people. Walking leisurely for even half an hour for 5 days a week, the recommended 150 minutes, can decrease common health issues and risk factors. Walking has the ability to modify a relatively out of shape person with various health issues into a thriving and well-energized person. Moreover, walking is a nonstrenuous way to exercise to create a healthier and happier
... fascination with distance, speed and time is categorically evident in the way that our cities are run. Dominated by machines that create both environmental and health issues. This review has attempted to outline the health benefits of cycling and critique them through scientific evidence. The evidence that Tranter, Bannister, Racioppi, Tight and Lindsay attempt to illustrate, is essentially a shift from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one. Plato was perhaps well ahead of his time in stating that the "lack of activity [in society] destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it” (Plato, 427-347 BCE). This encompasses and summarises all the physical and mental impacts cycling plays on the body and this review demonstrates how easy it is to change this epidemic of obesity through cycling.
Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live in areas near wetlands and depend on them. Wetlands are mechanisms for treatment of wastewater are extremely efficient because they absorb chemicals and filter pollutants and sediments. Half the world's wetlands have disappeared due to urbanization and industrial development. The only way to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction will be through better management of rivers and wetlands, and the land they drain and drain as well as through increased investment in them.
The ambiance of a district also sways the wellness of the individuals that reside within the province. It is proven that citizens who have “greener” communities (more parks, grassy areas, trees) are more likely to be healthier and have a greater life expectancy (2). This could stem from a feeling of security which allows for the people of that area engage in exercise more often than people from areas where it is unsafe to walk the streets alone even in the daytime. Lack of r...
With more needs for nature experience and sustainable development in urban areas, increasing importance has been attached to urban open spaces since they play a crucial role to support the ecology system and form a natural network in the cities (Chiesura, 2004; Tzoulas et al., 2007). Urban open spaces include plazas, parks, campus, greenways and other green spaces. They serve as islands of nature, enriching urban landscapes, adjusting the microclimate, promoting biodiversity and providing habitats for other species (Chiesura, 2004; Do, Kim, Kim, & Joo, 2014; Morimoto, 2011). Apart from these benefits, they also show a great impact on urban dwellers’ health, since open spaces offer places for outdoor activities and opportunities for contact with nature (Chiesura, 2004). Tyrväinen et al. (2014) indicated that even short-term visits to urban green spaces have positive psychological and physiological effects on perceived stress relief. People were attracted to urban open spaces for physical activities, social interactions, and a relief from daily life, which benefit their mental and physical health (Thwaites, Helleur, & Simkins, 2005). A large epidemiological study in Britain looked at mortality and morbidity among three income levels in relation to urban residents’ access to green open space (Mitchell & Popham,
"Physical Activity and Public Health." Scholar Commons of South Carolina. American Heart Association, 2007. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
There exists various lifestyles and behaviours, ranging from amount of nutrition intake, mental well-being, to the amount of physical activity engaged individually. Weighing the abundance of factors, this essay primarily aims to focus on the aspect of physical activity in relevance to how it possibly affects one's lifestyle. By cross-referencing to other lifestyles and behaviours, this essay will also demonstrate the importance of physical activity in possibly alleviating the issues raised pertaining to other lifestyles as well. Throughout this essay, there will be frequent references to the socio-ecological framework in examining the aforementioned factors.
The best known result of lack of physical activity and exercise is overweight and obesity. According to James McKinney, studies have discovered that having an active life and exercising at least 150 minutes per week, alternatively, 15 minutes a day, not only can help avoid obesity, but also improve health reducing the chances of developing a chronic disease (McKinney. 132,133). He also states that, “High levels of physical activity and cardio respiratory fitness are associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality”. Furthermore, “more physical activity can reduce the development of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke and cancer.” (McKinney,134). In addition, having an active life can reduce the chances of getting cancer by 45% (McKinney,134), and also, reduces the symptoms of depression by 30%