Why are certain neighborhoods healthier than others?
It's a question that's received no small share of academic attention in recent years (CityLab has variously touched upon the topic here, here, and here.) With no definitive single answer, the discussion continues to expand. Is it accessibility to nutrition—living near and being able to afford Whole Foods versus 7-Eleven? Perhaps it's economic segregation, which can starve low-income minority populations "of access to key social goods, such as education, health care, adequate housing, [and] recreational amenities," according to one relevant study by the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Health and Community.
Now we can add the relative presence of trees, leaves, grass, and other greenery to the healthy neighborhood equation. Greener neighborhoods, according to a study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives, are associated with healthier births for new mothers.
Over the course of three years, the researchers found, pregnant women living in Vancouver’s greenest neighborhoods (see the map below) delivered far healthier babies than those living in less tree-lined communities. These women were more likely to have full pregnancy terms, and their newborns were 12 grams heavier on average than babies born to women residing in areas with limited vegetation. Additionally, pregnant mothers from the leafiest neighborhoods had the fewest recorded “very pre-term births” (a pregnancy lasting less than 30 weeks).
To read more of this article by Sam Sturgis, go to: http://www.citylab.com/cityfix...thier-births/379719/
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