How are vulnerable populations exposed to restorative nature in the City of Vancouver, Canada?

Living in cities can be stressful. While studies have shown that exposure to nature can help reduce stress and promote mental wellbeing, some research has shown that some characteristics of nature provide more psychological support than others depending on one’s state of wellbeing. City planning and urban forestry strategy need to consider the qualitative attributes of urban nature in the landscape in order to better support the different needs of the residents. This study focused on restorative nature: nature elements that help relieve stress and alleviate mental fatigue. A novel measurement, Local Restorative Nature (LRN) index was developed to allow for a quantitative comparison of restorative nature across a landscape using data from remote sensing imagery and municipality’s geographical information system (GIS). Using the City of Vancouver as a case study, we assessed the distribution of restorative nature and investigated how various populations in the city, particularly vulnerable groups, are exposed to restorative nature. A geographically weighed regression analysis was performed using the computed LRN index and the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation data to examine localized relationships between vulnerability groups and their exposure to restorative nature, with a resulted r-squared value of 0.71. Our study found that vulnerable groups in the City of Vancouver have different exposure to restorative nature. This exposure to restorative nature can be different for populations with similar vulnerability depending on their local area of residence. The proposed LRN index demonstrated an easy and effective way to quantify urban restorative nature. When combining the LRN index with demographic data, city planners and policymakers could identify and prioritize future planning efforts in neighborhoods that are more in need to promote equity in nature-based care services across the city and improve residents’ wellbeing.都市生活往往令人倍感压力。尽管已有研究表明，接触自然环境有助于缓解压力、提升心理健康水平，但部分研究指出，自然环境的不同特质所能提供的心理支持效果存在差异，且该差异取决于个体自身的心理健康状态。因此，城市规划与城市林业战略需考量景观中城市自然环境的质性特征，从而更好地满足居民的多样化需求。 本研究聚焦于恢复性自然（restorative nature）：即能够帮助缓解压力、减轻精神疲劳的自然要素。本研究研发了一种全新的评估指标——本地恢复性自然（Local Restorative Nature, LRN）指数，可借助遥感影像与市政地理信息系统（GIS）数据，实现景观范围内恢复性自然环境的量化对比分析。 本研究以温哥华市为案例研究对象，评估了当地恢复性自然环境的分布情况，并探究了城市内不同人群——尤其是弱势群体——接触恢复性自然的现状。基于计算得到的LRN指数与加拿大多维度贫困指数（Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation）数据，本研究开展地理加权回归分析，以探究弱势群体与自身接触恢复性自然环境程度之间的局域关联，最终得到的决定系数（r-squared）为0.71。 研究结果显示，温哥华市的弱势群体接触恢复性自然环境的程度存在差异。即便脆弱程度相近的人群，其接触恢复性自然的程度也会因居住区域的不同而有所区别。 本次提出的LRN指数为城市恢复性自然环境的量化提供了一种简便高效的途径。将LRN指数与人口统计数据相结合后，城市规划者与政策制定者便可识别并优先推进那些亟需改善的社区的规划工作，以在全市范围内推广自然康养服务的公平性，进而提升居民的心理健康水平。