User:Madchris2990/Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructures effect on mental health and society as a whole - A study was done by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) that showed that walking in a forest was the most effective way to increase the happiness of people who are stressed out from normal life. This gives people a certain outlook on life knowing that having something other then everyday life is entirely possible. Knowing that there is more than just a constant routine can change a person's entire outlook on life. If we look at areas where most people go to relax its outside next to flowers and trees with lots of greenery around. An example of this is a study done by Gallup in which Hawaii residents had the highest well-being in the United States in 2016. The second is Alaska which in itself is the least densely populated state in the United States. With both Hawaii and Alaska being relatively new states only becoming states in 1959, this has led to conservation efforts becoming effective before the industrialization process could begin. This has led to Hawaiian and Alaskan people to be relatively mentally and physically sound compared to other states. With both states having a strong conservation effort many people in these states have more time to enjoy the open air and the relative peace of nature.

Air Pollution has been linked to bipolar disorder and depression increasing throughout the country. In counties with terrible air quality mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency had a 27 percent increase in bipolar disorder and a 6 percent increase in depression. This is higher than the national average and leads to the understanding that air pollution can have this effect on the mental health of the people. Similar studies have been conducted in China, England, and South Korea which steers more toward the belief that air pollution can and is already a major problem many around the world will have to experience first hand. A study was done by the University of Washingon involving six thousand participants from all over the country and having entirely different backgrounds concluded that fine particular matter has an effect on the respiratory system of which can lead into the participant's bloodstream and thus create a mental blockage causing the participants to feel nervousness, sadness, and hopeless. Psychological distress was 17 percent higher in areas where the fine particular matter was more frequent.

A Green Infrastructure Task Force produced in London after the publication of the "London Infrastructure Plan 2050" has plans to transform London's current infrastructure into a full based green infrastructure model. The plans are written in the "London Infrastructure plan 2050" that green infrastructure is essential to the basic means of the city's fundamental systems. As fundamental or more as the city's energy, waste, water, transportation, and digital infrastructure. Londons already existing green infrastructure such as street trees, rain gardens, and green roofs have already provided numerous profits in the means of increasing the citizen's lives and the economic savings of the city. With the United Kingdom government getting involved and accepting there must be a change in the way we build our cities this leads to more acceptance as to why we need to switch to green infrastructure and the numerous amounts of benefits that exist if we do. With obesity, mental health, and poor air quality increasing throughout England having a proper and managed division of infrastructure. Utilizing green infrastructure can reverse the effects of this crisis and lead to a less obese population, fewer incidents of mental health, and a higher quality of air throughout the country.

Central Park is a great example of how people escape the madness of New York City and find peace in a place where it otherwise wouldn't exist. There are over 18,000 trees in Central Park that over a year will remove one million pounds of CO2 from New York City. This can lead to people having less breathing problems and being able to get fresh air regularly. The trees in Central Park also keep the environment cooler during the summer season. This can lead to more people seeking refuge in Central Park to escape the city heat. This is great for a city like New York whose massive buildings and a multitude of vehicles redirect outwards and be more concentrated inwards and have the effect of cooling down the city as a whole leaving fewer people suffering from the warmer months. Central Park is also a community effort to maintain a public space for all the residents to enjoy through any time of year. The New York Marathon finish line is in Central Park as well as the New York Philharmonic. Central Park is a place for New Yorkers to collectively come together and enjoy the outdoors in a city where the outdoors is a couple of hours drive upstate.

Singapore is the epicenter of green infrastructure in that it has set a great example for many countries in the world to follow. With climate change becoming a massive problem throughout the world we can see that extreme weather will continue to rise. As result droughts will exceptionally rise throughout the world, especially during the summer season. Singapore has countered this problem before it ever really becomes a problem. Over two-thirds of Singapore's infrastructure like rooftops, sidewalks, streets, and parks capture rainwater and pump it to 18 reservoirs. Singapore in the future has plans to turn ninety percent of its land area into rainfall catch to be able to capture as much water as they can to reuse it for the cities needs. Singapore is a great example of major metropolitan areas to follow when it comes to resources. Singapore uses every single square inch of space because they need to, to sustain a constant resource base for its population. Now imagine major cities like Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City and especially Cape Town which almost ran out of water in 2018 which was to be called Day Zero. Cape Town got lucky and escaped with the people's help of restricting water usage. Next time Cape Town will not get so lucky and there's a chance each one of these major cities may run out of water one day.