Biophilia is a great thing and so are green cities

Many of us instinctively know this.  The medical profession certainly knows this when they prescribe light and exercise for depression and anxiety.  Even living in a City of only 20,000 set in the wonderful Rocky Mountain trench it is easy to think you get your dose of 'outside' but do we?

From the Globe and Mail comes this article by Erin Anderssen:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/how-green-cities-are-better-for-us-physically-and-psychologically/article19474393/?page=1

How green cities are better for us physically and psychologically 

If Canadian city-dwellers don’t notice nature in their midst, maybe it’s because they have been conditioned not to. Cities are about concrete, pollution and traffic jams, not kayaking and ducks. You go to the cottage for a bit of fresh air on the weekend, then brace for another week on the urban island, spending too many hours in a fluorescent-lit cubicle in a forest of other cubicles.

But a growing body of research suggests the cost: Cities are the main human ecosystem – 60 per cent of us now live in metropolitan areas with more than 100,000 people – but they also make us sick, depressed and anxious. By contrast, being around blue water, green trees and space makes us healthier, more productive, even more generous – a positive effect known as “biophilia.”