Participatory Greening in Arnhem and Nijmegen (PARTIGAN 2)

Empirical evidence is mounting that having nature nearby and contact with nature positively affect health and well-being. People living in a green neighbourhood are healthier and have a higher (healthy) life expectancy. Especially citizens with a low SES and with a poor health seem to benefit from good access to green spaces. Studies have shown that socioeconomic health disparities are smaller in green neighbourhoods than in less green ones. A challenge is that more vulnerable citizens generally have less access to green environments, that the quality of their green environment is often low and that they are generally less engaged in green activities than others. The overall aim of the project is to investigate how greening the living environment can stimulate contact with and use of the urban green infrastructure (UGI), by especially more vulnerable citizens, and in that way improve their health and well-being and at the same time reduce socioeconomic health disparities.

The project is executed by a consortium of renowned research organisations (Wageningen University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radboud University), the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen, nature, landscape and societal organisations, citizens with low SES and green citizen initiatives. Within the consortium, there is expertise in the fields of nature-health interactions, participation of citizens with low SES, landscape architecture, health promotion, diversity and participatory action research.
The project is carried out in Arnhem en Nijmegen, two cities that are already working on citizen participation and on incorporating the green environment in health and environmental policies. They are interested in learning from each other.