Urban plants promote happiness
As you walk down the streets of historic Old Town in Fort Collins, Colorado, you see beautiful flowers and plants lining the medians and decorating the sidewalks. Found in the foothills below the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins is a mountain town; therefore, most of these plants are tropical and will need to be thrown out and replanted every year. Despite this waste, these little pieces of the natural world can make a big difference in the mental health of the citizens of Fort Collins.
There are numerous benefits to incorporating plants into public spaces including creating cleaner air, reducing crime rates, increasing community cohesion, helping to treat mental health issues and promoting overall happiness.
In case you didn’t know, natural spaces evoke positive emotions in people. Plants can serve as an urban respite for people by giving their fatigued brain a chance to recover. With hectic jobs and duties that the average American is involved in, it is in the best interest of cities to provide its citizens with a way to rejuvenate and therefore be more productive in their daily lives.
With children in recent times playing outside less, plants in public spaces may be a good idea to incorporate nature into the daily lives of children. Plants improve children’s ability to retain information and learn new things. In addition, if children learn the value of nature young they will be more inclined to preserve and utilize natural areas throughout their lifetime.
Lower crime rates in certain areas may be linked to the presence of plants. Studies suggest that the presence of plants lowers crime rates because it causes people to spend more time outside and it is therapeutic to the mind of the potential criminal. For a town like Fort Collins with relatively low crime numbers, it’s urban plants may help keep criminals away.
Despite the benefits that plants have on the citizens, cities with the available budget will spend millions on landscaping costs without batting an eye. The costs to keep public areas decorated with plants include the price of planting, maintenance, water and disposal of the plants. For cities like Fort Collins with a relatively short warm growing season, these tropical plants decorating the town may be an unnecessary cost for taxpayers to pay.
Some argue that their tax dollars should not be going towards the many costs associated with ornamental plants because they are so unnecessary and wasteful. Specifically in Fort Collins, giant Elephant Ears and leafy palms can be seen around its streets, does the city need these tropical plants? They don’t belong in the climate and they do not live year-round.
In the case of Fort Collins, plants should be left in public areas due to their immense positive impacts on its citizens but some thought should be given to using plants that are more appropriate to the Colorado climate. Native plants can save money and attract native wildlife such as butterflies and birds.
Among a sea of concrete, decorative plants may seem to be a waste of tax dollars but in fact, they promote good mental health of citizens. As a whole, the concept of nature in public spaces is a good idea. In places like Colorado, this idea should be tweaked to create a landscape of native plants that will in turn be sustainable, less expensive and promote the local wildlife.
