Growing up around green space has positive effect on early childhood development, UBC study suggests

Research from the University of British Columbia suggests that living in and around green space has a positive effect on early development in children.

Based on a study of nearly 30,000 children in Metro Vancouver born between 2000 and 2005, the research found that those children who were exposed to more green space and vegetation within a 250-metre buffer zone around their postal code had a stronger likelihood of doing better in kindergarten.

Their development was tracked using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a standardized tool filled out by kindergarten teachers every February. 

Researchers said their results, which show an association between green space and higher EDI scores, might be due to green space reducing exposure to traffic-related air and noise pollution.

"The findings are important," said Ingrid Jarvis, the lead researcher on the study. "Not only do they contribute to this broader body of literature suggesting that green space is beneficial for human health … but it's also really important for application to urban planning policy."

The study states that trees directly remove or act as a barrier to displace air and noise pollution, which can have adverse effects on children's health. These include stress, disturbances to sleep and damage to the central nervous system.

Jarvis says her team's findings support increasing green space in cities through a larger tree canopy, building more parks and community gardens, and increasing access to parks.

Researchers used satellite composites over more than 30 years to estimate green space throughout the Lower Mainland.

Jarvis says future research should track health outcomes and exposure to pollutants over time. She is currently working on another project looking at distinct land cover types and how they relate to childhood development.

Wealthy neighbourhoods are greener, advocate says

The findings have raised concerns about how wealth can affect access to green space, with advocates saying that needs to change. 

Stuart Smith, a board member at Abundant Housing Vancouver, said more affluent Vancouver neighbourhoods like Shaughnessy and Point Grey are greener than those with apartments and dense housing like the West End due to zoning laws and construction requirements.

"We shouldn't be surprised to find that, where there's the most trees and where it's the most pleasant and the most quietest — those [neighbourhoods] are also where the people with the most wealth and income benefit," he said.

Smith said apartments and dense housing have been used in the past as a "buffer" for more expensive single-family homes in Vancouver to escape noise and air pollution.

He says that upzoning in richer areas like Shaughnessy, to allow duplexes and even denser buildings, would be a way to ensure more residents and families can live around green space.

"If we do it right, not a single tree has to go," he said. "You could do a lot, even just with the houses that are there."

Ultimately, Smith says a greener Metro Vancouver would look to replace the large roads and built-up areas that lacked vegetation and move toward a future with less car usage overall.