Quantifying nature: Results from a workshop on the role of Blue-Green spaces in public health, social cohesion and economic sustainability

This case report synthesises the exchanges of a scientific workshop examining the intersection of Blue-Green (B-G) spaces, public health and socio-economic dynamics within the urban sphere. Convened in Belgrade as part of a broader Congress on public health challenges, the session interrogated the manifold ways in which proximity to and engagement with natural environments shape physical well-being, psychological resilience, housing market dynamics and social cohesion. The discourse revealed discernible patterns of utilisation, with habitual users integrating these verdant and aquatic landscapes into their daily rhythms, while those engaging less frequently exhibited a markedly different range of motivations. Notably, disparities in healthcare reliance emerged, suggesting that sustained exposure to such environments may bear salutary effects on public health burdens. The dialogue also shed light on the economic ramifications of B-G spaces, not merely as aesthetic appendages to the built environment but as substantive determinants of residential desirability and urban valuation. While reaffirming established paradigms on the positive impact of natural spaces on human health, the workshop underscored multi-layered gaps in empirical understanding -particularly regarding the long-term physiological and psychosocial dividends of such environments and the optimal modalities of their incorporation into urban design. These findings highlight the imperative for evidence-led policymaking that enshrines nature as a structural component of urban development.