EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing Topic Box 14.2 Preliminary Findings from the BlueHealth project – Irish Data Analysis The BlueHealth project is an EU-funded Horizon 2020 research project investigating residential exposure to, and recreational contact with, ‘blue’ spaces (e.g. coasts, rivers and lakes) and a range of health and wellbeing outcomes. This project explores the health-promoting potential of ‘blue’ spaces. Part of the project involves collecting data from representative samples of people in 18 countries, across four seasonal waves, about visits they made to blue spaces. In Ireland a total of 1059 people took part. Preliminary analyses reveal that better general health appeared more prevalent in coastal areas, while psychological wellbeing (measured by the World Health Organization’s WHO-5 wellbeing index) also appeared to be better in more coastal areas but not in greener areas. People who visited various types of blue space at least once a week were also more likely to have better health and psychological wellbeing. People who perceived ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ of blue space within 10-15 minutes’ walk from their home experienced better psychological wellbeing. This research is ongoing and further valuable insights are expected. Find out more at: www.bluehealth2020.eu/ projects/bluehealth-survey. Providing health-promoting environments is therefore an essential requirement for healthy, thriving and inclusive communities. An investment in well- designed, good-quality and accessible green and blue spaces is an investment in public health; therefore, providing health-promoting environments in urban spatial planning should be viewed as a necessary and integral component. Under the government’s National Planning Framework 2040 there is a welcome alignment of public health considerations and policy within the spatial planning framework, including commitments to: n integrate public health policies, such as Healthy Ireland and the National Physical Activity Plan, with planning policies n integrate safe and convenient alternatives to the car by prioritising the accessibility of walking and cycling in existing and proposed developments n promote more sustainable forms of travel and activity- based recreation by further developing greenways, blueways and peat (brown) ways n integrate green and blue infrastructure planning and the preparation of statutory land use plans n support green and blue adaptation efforts to enhance resilience to climate change, such as creating green spaces and parks for the management of urban micro-climates n ensure that the planning system will be responsive to our national environmental challenges and that development occurs within environmental limits, having regard to the requirements of all relevant environmental legislation and the sustainable management of our natural capital n improve air quality and help prevent people being exposed to unacceptable levels of pollution in our urban and rural areas through integrated land use and spatial planning that supports public transport, walking and cycling as modes of transport preferable to the private car and that promotes energy-efficient buildings and homes, heating systems with zero local emissions, green infrastructure planning and innovative design solutions n promote the proactive management of noise where it is likely to have significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life and support the aims of the Environmental Noise Regulations (S.I. 140/2006) through national planning guidance and noise action plans. 355