The influence of greenspace characteristics and building configuration on depression in the elderly

Abstract The positive effects of natural landscapes, including green and blue spaces, have been widely documented on the psychological well-being of urban citizens; however, there is limited information on the effect of artificial landscapes, despite being significant components of urban landscapes. This study aimed to explore how the characteristics of green and blue spaces and building configuration are correlated with the mental health status of residents in Beijing, China. The mental health status of 757 citizens aged over 60 was obtained through questionnaires using GDS-15 (a shortened Geriatric Depression Scale). Nine urban landscape indices (including four indices on green and blue spaces and five on building configurations) were applied as independent variables at the neighborhood level. Five circular landscapes with different radii (from 50 to 250 m) that took each neighborhood of interviewees as the center were created to calculated the indices. Hierarchical linear models were estimated to identify the links between urban landscape characteristics and mental health status, controlling for other confounding effects. The results showed that the characteristics of natural landscapes were negatively associated with the psychological disorders of participants within certain distances (100 m and 150 m), while building configurations were positively correlated with the depression in the elderly. The floor area ratio and average building height showed statistically significant and positive correlations with the GDS-15 score. In conclusion, the characteristics of the urban landscape could be used to explore the hidden mechanisms of the pathogenesis of mental disorders in urban citizens.