Speaker
Description
Urban intensification has resulted in an intensive and often uncontrolled increase in artificial and sealed surfaces, reducing exposure to green space and the associated health-enhancing factors. According to the EEA, between 2012 and 2018, the area of newly sealed soil of the EU-27 and the UK increased by 1,467 km2 (European Environment Agency, 2022). This extensive sealing of soil raises not only environmental issues but also societal public health questions concerning exposure to environmental “bads” hazards, mainly because sealed areas have higher surface temperatures compared to green surfaces. As a result, soil sealing is likely to affect humans through urban heat islands, contaminant toxicity, air pollution, and adverse impacts on mental health. This study focuses on sealed soil per capita to proxy green space depletion and uses panel fixed effects model to estimate the well-being impact of green space depletion on different aspects of life in Germany. Estimation results based on the German Socio-Economic Survey data reveal that sealed surfaces negatively influence various aspects of life, including health and social life. We estimate that changes in health satisfaction due to soil sealing correspond to an equivalent income variation of approximately 790.613 EUR/h.h./m2. We argue that urban heat islands can play an important role in explaining the negative impact of sealed surfaces on human well-being.
| Status Group | Postdoctoral Researcher |
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