The World Health Organization states that “Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health, and reduce morbidity and mortality in urban residents by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, supporting physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat” (Urban). In Green space and early childhood development: a systematic review by Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Jessika Johnston and Peter D. Sly the authors look at a total of 23 papers and conclude that “higher greenness exposure during childhood was associated with increased levels of physical activity and a lower risk of obesity and neurodevelopmental issues such as inattentiveness” (Islam). The authors conclude that “literature on green space exposure and early childhood development is small” but that “existing research provides promising insights into the benefits of green space exposure on children’s health and well-being in an ever-increasing urban world” (Islam). The authors assert that more “research is needed on the causal relationships between both quantity and quality of green space to early childhood development” (Islam).

The goal of this study is to determine if there is indeed a correlation between green space and early childhood development. To determine this relationship, the amount of green space and children’s EDI scores for Vancouver was analyzed.