THE link between mental and physical wellbeing and the green spaces in towns and cities is being explored by an East Lothian scientist.

Dr Emma Bush has devised an online module that secondary school pupils in Edinburgh are using to map out their routes to and from school.

Students can also input their observations as they become more aware of the nature that surrounds them and the impact it has on their wellbeing.

Dr Bush, an urban biodiversity and resilience officer at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), was hopeful that young people would get involved in the Good City project, which could help shape Edinburgh’s future provision of green spaces when findings are presented to city council leaders this year.

The West Barns resident said: “It is amazing how engaged the young people become once they get involved and start mapping their findings.

“Their interest in green spaces and the nature around them is inspiring.

“They really start to take notice of the flora and fauna they come across on their way to and from school.

“They then think about the impact it has on their sense of wellbeing and if it determines which route they take.”

East Lothian Courier: Dr Emma Bush is involved in a special project highlighting the importance of green spaces to physical and mental wellbeing

The project is working with secondary school pupils from the Capital’s schools to investigate the role of nature in urban neighbourhoods.

The first phase of the project, involving about 200 pupils, has just been completed, and the next phase, working with young people from other Edinburgh schools, will get under way early this year.

The project aims to get pupils from a further three or more schools involved before it concludes in the spring.

Dr Bush added that the UN predicts that two out of three people will be living in cities and urban neighbourhoods by 2050.

The Good City project, which could be used anywhere in the world, is looking at how urban areas can be made better places to live, how flora and fauna can be evenly distributed across cities and the benefits of green spaces to mental health and wellbeing. The overall findings of the project will then be presented to members of the City of Edinburgh Council.