Tackling Health Inequalities Through Green/Blue Infrastructure
The Tackling Health Inequalities Through Green/Blue Infrastructure project is a five-year study (2024–2029) led by the University of Exeter and funded by NIHR. It looks at how access to nature can help reduce health inequalities across the UK.
Green/blue infrastructure includes spaces like parks, beaches, woods, footpaths, and street trees. These improve physical and mental health, but access is uneven, with poorer communities often missing out.
The project aims to:
- Target improvements: Help councils invest more in areas with worse health to improve local environments.
- Analyse data: Use maps, census data, and surveys to understand how environmental changes—like planting more trees—can improve health and protect communities.
- Build visual models: Work with public health teams and communities to show how green space, social factors, and health are linked.
The goal is to give decision-makers clear evidence to plan and invest in nature in a way that creates a fairer, healthier society.
Health inequalities and natural infrastructure | Beyond Greenspace