Relative importance of urban greenspace types in improving subjective health status before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Urban greenspaces provide valuable ecosystem services to urban residents, and their benefits may have functioned even better during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the use of urban greenspaces and the level of human subjective health (based on the subjective assessment of one’s own status of social, mental, and physical health) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted to explore how the frequency of use of urban greenspaces differed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and what types of urban greenspaces were associated with improved human subjective health in 2019 (before COVID-19) and 2020 (during COVID-19). The frequency of urban greenspace use decreased from 2019 to 2020, suggesting the limited use of greenspaces during the pandemic. Furthermore, the types of urban greenspaces associated with improved health in 2019 differed, to varying degrees, from those in 2020. Notably, during the pandemic, greenspaces along urban streets were associated with improved mental and social health. We suggest that street greenspaces be the most familiar and closest greenspaces to urban residents, thereby contributing to improved human health through contact with nature, even during the pandemic. Thus, our study highlights the importance of urban greenspaces, especially street greenspaces, which are the closest and most common to individuals, in maintaining and improving human health in this urban era.