Can green structure reduce the mortality of cardiovascular diseases?

Previous studies have shown that green spaces are beneficial to health; however, few studies have analyzed the relationship between green structure and mortality of cardiovascular disease. Green structure may mediate the effects of air pollution and temperature on health. This work applies partial least squares (PLS) modeling to analyze the degree to which green structure reduces mortality of cardiovascular disease, using Taipei Metropolitan Area as an empirical case. In addition to clarifying the complex relationships and effects of green structure, air pollution, temperature, and mortality of cardiovascular disease, this study demonstrates that green structure has a significant influence on mortality of cardiovascular disease because it reduces the effects of air pollution and heat. The most crucial elements for planning a healthy living environment are the maximization of the largest green patch proportion and the minimization of green space fragmentation. Moreover, to enhance the benefits of greening city spaces on health, this work proposes several strategies for connecting fragmentary green spaces, expanding green patches to the largest possible proportion, and managing green spaces. The proposed strategies may serve as a reference for other metropolitan areas with features similar to those of the study area. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.