Exploring the Health Effects of Neighborhood Greenness on Lilong Residents in Shanghai

Abstract With increasing focus on the associations between green space and the health of disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, children, and low-income people, there is still inconsistent evidence in the literature from the perspective of environmental justice in China. Thus, this study re-examines the impact of green space on self-rated health, mental health and physical capability based on a comprehensive survey of Lilong communities in Shanghai in 2016. We employed several types of greenness indicator at the community level, including park accessibility, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), eye-level green visibility, and satisfaction with neighborhood green-space provision. Our results show that there is no significant relationship between neighborhood greenness and Lilong residents’ general health, with neighborhood greenness more strongly associated with Lilong residents’ mental than physical health. For vulnerable neighborhoods, of the various greenness assessment metrics studied, self-reported satisfaction with the level of greenness is shown to have the most consistent positive effect on people’s health outcomes.