Greening Cities for Mental Health and Emotional Well-being
Greening cities is a term that keeps popping up as one of the nature-based solutions with a wide variety of social, environmental, and economic benefits. Greening cities simply refers to the efforts to integrate vegetation into urban environments. This entails setting aside green spaces or climate zones to grow vegetation like trees, shrubs and bushes, fruit trees, pollinator friendly plants, among others.
Some of the key benefits for greening cities include environmental benefits like improving air quality, urban cooling, providing habitats for birds, insects, and other small animals, absorption of rainwater thus reducing flooding when it rains, noise reduction – vegetation buffer urban noise – among other benefits.
The State of Global Mental Health
In this article, we would like to delve deeper into the benefits that greening cities specifically has on mental health and well-being. As of 2025, the global mental health statistics paints a deepening crisis with over 1 billion people globally living with mental health conditions. The UN warns that this number continues to rise across all age groups and regions. The most common disorders are listed as anxiety and depression. Suicide rates have equally risen in the recent past accounting for 1 in every 100 deaths globally. Despite the growing numbers, mental health services remain underfunded with glaring gaps especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Recent studies have shown that mental health conditions are more prevalent in urban areas as compared to rural settings. Though influenced by many factors, one of them is the higher levels of noise, air pollution, and overcrowding that fuel psychological stress.
How Does Greening Cities Contribute to Mental Health and Emotional Well Being
Most people look at urban greening more from the aesthetic perspective rather than as a strategic approach to creating a healthier and sustainable environment. It goes beyond just the aesthetic to providing benefits that enhance mental health and emotional well-being.
Studies have shown that exposure to nature lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress. High levels over time can contribute to anxiety, depression, and physical health problems. Walking in nature can help reduce anxiety. People living near green spaces report fewer symptoms of depression and greater life satisfaction.
Natural environments help restore attention by allowing the brain to rest from constant stimulation. Humans have an innate affinity for nature; exposure to biodiverse environments can enhance feelings of connection, safety, and relaxation.
Parks, walking or jogging trails, and green corridors are known to promote physical exercise, which in turn contributes to cardiovascular health. This is particularly beneficial for the elderly, as it supports mobility, reduces isolation, and improves cognitive function. Children, on the other hand, also benefit from nature-based playgrounds, as they promote motor skills, creativity, and emotional regulation.
Lastly, nature exposure has been used in therapeutic settings to support recovery from trauma and grief. Nature exposure is increasingly used in therapeutic settings because it helps people recovering from trauma and grief regulate stress, restore emotional balance, and reconnect with meaning. Ecotherapy and nature therapy practices including, mindful walks, gardening, and outdoor group sessions, have been shown to reduce anxiety, ease depressive symptoms, and support resilience.
How Do Cities in Switzerland and Nairobi Compare?
Switzerland is a leading example in Europe for integrating nature into urban planning. As you travel across the country—from Bern to Zurich and Geneva to Lucerne—you can't help but be amazed by its rich biodiversity and lush vegetation. This integration of nature into urban settings can be seen on both a macro and micro level, with features such as green roofs, pollinator corridors, and small flower pots on apartment windows. This demonstrates that the effort to embrace nature goes beyond government initiatives; it reflects a commitment at both the family and individual levels among the Swiss people.
At a governance level, a city like Zurich has since 1991 been required to have all flat roofs on new or renovated buildings to be green, boosting biodiversity, supporting water management and reducing heat stress during summer. Strategic frameworks like Zurich Strategies 2040 integrate ecological goals with economic and social sustainability emphasizing green infrastructure and climate adaptation.
In Bern, which is Switzerland’s administrative capital, emphasis is placed on eco-friendly practices and local initiatives to enhance environmental resilience and liveability. Bern’s greening strategy Stadtgrünstrategie 2030 spells out goals for enhancing green spaces, improving biodiversity, and adapting to climate change. It also promotes sustainable landscaping and community involvement
These cities are leading examples of how urban greening can be integrated into broader climate and sustainability strategies. Kenyan cities are yet to fully embrace city greening to the level of countries like Switzerland. A city like Nairobi, for instance, is facing challenges of rapid urbanization that requires urban greening to enhance its liveability.
The Kenyan government is leading greening efforts, including the Nairobi Greening Project that targets to build a green buffer around Nairobi National Park. Kenya has in place Green Nairobi Action Plan which is a strategic framework that is focused on increasing among others, air quality, Nairobi’s green cover, and improving health and wellbeing. Though efforts are in place, without citizens or what we call community buy-in, sustainability will remain a challenge.
For countries like Kenya, the future of greening cities lies not only in putting in place policies, but also in the use of data to enhance sustainability, encouraging community meaningful involvement and exploring spaces that can be used to create these green spaces like roofs and walls among others. Community education is also a must to enhance sustainability, promote mental health and emotional well-being. Without this, greening Nairobi or the other cities in Kenya will remain a blue print.
Greening cities is a term that keeps popping up as one of the nature-based solutions with a wide variety of social, environmental, and economic benefits. Greening cities simply refers to the efforts to integrate vegetation into urban environments. This entails setting aside green spaces or climate zones to grow vegetation like trees, shrubs and bushes, fruit trees, pollinator friendly plants, among others.
Some of the key benefits for greening cities include environmental benefits like improving air quality, urban cooling, providing habitats for birds, insects, and other small animals, absorption of rainwater thus reducing flooding when it rains, noise reduction – vegetation buffer urban noise – among other benefits.
The State of Global Mental Health
In this article, we would like to delve deeper into the benefits that greening cities specifically has on mental health and well-being. As of 2025, the global mental health statistics paints a deepening crisis with over 1 billion people globally living with mental health conditions. The UN warns that this number continues to rise across all age groups and regions. The most common disorders are listed as anxiety and depression. Suicide rates have equally risen in the recent past accounting for 1 in every 100 deaths globally. Despite the growing numbers, mental health services remain underfunded with glaring gaps especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Recent studies have shown that mental health conditions are more prevalent in urban areas as compared to rural settings. Though influenced by many factors, one of them is the higher levels of noise, air pollution, and overcrowding that fuel psychological stress.
How Does Greening Cities Contribute to Mental Health and Emotional Well Being
Most people look at urban greening more from the aesthetic perspective rather than as a strategic approach to creating a healthier and sustainable environment. It goes beyond just the aesthetic to providing benefits that enhance mental health and emotional well-being.
Studies have shown that exposure to nature lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress. High levels over time can contribute to anxiety, depression, and physical health problems. Walking in nature can help reduce anxiety. People living near green spaces report fewer symptoms of depression and greater life satisfaction.
Natural environments help restore attention by allowing the brain to rest from constant stimulation. Humans have an innate affinity for nature; exposure to biodiverse environments can enhance feelings of connection, safety, and relaxation.
Parks, walking or jogging trails, and green corridors are known to promote physical exercise, which in turn contributes to cardiovascular health. This is particularly beneficial for the elderly, as it supports mobility, reduces isolation, and improves cognitive function. Children, on the other hand, also benefit from nature-based playgrounds, as they promote motor skills, creativity, and emotional regulation.
Lastly, nature exposure has been used in therapeutic settings to support recovery from trauma and grief. Nature exposure is increasingly used in therapeutic settings because it helps people recovering from trauma and grief regulate stress, restore emotional balance, and reconnect with meaning. Ecotherapy and nature therapy practices including, mindful walks, gardening, and outdoor group sessions, have been shown to reduce anxiety, ease depressive symptoms, and support resilience.
How Do Cities in Switzerland and Nairobi Compare?
Switzerland is a leading example in Europe for integrating nature into urban planning. As you travel across the country—from Bern to Zurich and Geneva to Lucerne—you can't help but be amazed by its rich biodiversity and lush vegetation. This integration of nature into urban settings can be seen on both a macro and micro level, with features such as green roofs, pollinator corridors, and small flower pots on apartment windows. This demonstrates that the effort to embrace nature goes beyond government initiatives; it reflects a commitment at both the family and individual levels among the Swiss people.
At a governance level, a city like Zurich has since 1991 been required to have all flat roofs on new or renovated buildings to be green, boosting biodiversity, supporting water management and reducing heat stress during summer. Strategic frameworks like Zurich Strategies 2040 integrate ecological goals with economic and social sustainability emphasizing green infrastructure and climate adaptation.
In Bern, which is Switzerland’s administrative capital, emphasis is placed on eco-friendly practices and local initiatives to enhance environmental resilience and liveability. Bern’s greening strategy Stadtgrünstrategie 2030 spells out goals for enhancing green spaces, improving biodiversity, and adapting to climate change. It also promotes sustainable landscaping and community involvement
These cities are leading examples of how urban greening can be integrated into broader climate and sustainability strategies. Kenyan cities are yet to fully embrace city greening to the level of countries like Switzerland. A city like Nairobi, for instance, is facing challenges of rapid urbanization that requires urban greening to enhance its liveability.
The Kenyan government is leading greening efforts, including the Nairobi Greening Project that targets to build a green buffer around Nairobi National Park. Kenya has in place Green Nairobi Action Plan which is a strategic framework that is focused on increasing among others, air quality, Nairobi’s green cover, and improving health and wellbeing. Though efforts are in place, without citizens or what we call community buy-in, sustainability will remain a challenge.
For countries like Kenya, the future of greening cities lies not only in putting in place policies, but also in the use of data to enhance sustainability, encouraging community meaningful involvement and exploring spaces that can be used to create these green spaces like roofs and walls among others. Community education is also a must to enhance sustainability, promote mental health and emotional well-being. Without this, greening Nairobi or the other cities in Kenya will remain a blue print.
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