Connections Between Community Garden and Residents’ Mental Health

Can community gardens improve the mental health of people in massively urbanising areas? This research in Shenzhen, China aims to find out.

The aim of this research is to examine the association between perceived benefits of urban greenspace and residents’ mental health using survey data collected from two community gardens in Shenzhen, China, following four sub-objectives: 

1. To provide a scoping review of community gardens and residents’ mental health literature 
2. To understand the associations between the type, quantity and quality of community gardens and mental health 
3. To investigate the role of community gardens in emotional and behavioural outcomes 
4. To suggest the planning and design strategies

Community gardens, as a type of urban greenspace with advantages of “close distance and easy access”, is of great significance for residents to obtain green welfare. People in Shenzhen, China are facing severe mental health problems in the context of rapid urbanisation and a booming population. However, the research on how and whether the physical characteristics of community gardens impact mental health is limited. This research will investigate this relationship and help improve residents’ mental health by better designed urban greenspace.
 

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