The Impact of Green Urban Open Spaces on Enhancing Mental Health

Abstract

Scarcity of green public spaces not only could impair the livability and sustainability of cities but also would affect the public health, while there is potential benefit of green environments on mental health, it could be one of the great reasons of reducing depression and stress, many studies conducted during the last decade suggest the mental health benefits of green spaces , According to the World Health Organization, mental health promotion should include actions that create environments that support mental health and allow people to maintain healthy lifestyles, Given the increase in mental health problems and the ongoing massive urbanization, especially in developing countries, Evidence is growing for the beneficial impacts of natural outdoor environments on health. The general disproportion of urban development and the socio-economic crisis in Egypt followed by a number of acute and chronic stressors, as well as years of accumulated trauma, prevented the parallel physical, mental and social adaptation of society, in addition to a whole and continuous contraction of public green spaces in Cairo certainly affected the quality of mental health, increasing the absolute number of people with depression, stress and psychosomatic disorders.This paper aims to explore and document the development process of Merryland Park, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt with specific reference to the conflict between urban development, and mental health.