ECEHH research directly led to the creation of a commercial tool, Greenkeeper, to evaluate the multiple economic values of urban green infrastructure. Prior to our longitudinal studies, there was no robust estimation of the magnitude of the positive impact of urban greenspace on population mental health, contributing to the under-valuing of urban nature.

This work led to our collaboration with Vivid Economics and Barton Willmore on the Innovate UK-funded Greenkeeper project. This involved the development and application of our studies of mental health and physical activity values to incorporate health-related values in the tool. Greenkeeper has already been used for a range of purposes, including to support a 2020 call from National Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund to press the Government for £5.5bn green infrastructure funding as part of a ‘green recovery’ to address inequalities in access to nature highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the local scale, our research has also been used to inform decision making and investment to promote the health and well-being of Dorset’s population, and reduce pressure on its health and care services. Our existing research and green space access mapping, carried out in collaboration with Public Health Dorset, underpinned the Healthy Places Strategy applied within Dorset’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and Integrated Care System.

Cornwall Council identified a need to recognise the health value as well as biodiversity benefits of the almost 2000 parks, amenity and natural open spacesacross Cornwall. Collaborative work resulting from the ESRC-funded Beyond Greenspace project led to co-produced outputs appended to the Council’s Open Space Strategy and has supported investment in and sustainable management of public open spaces for community health benefit in the future.

Health evidence input from the Centre contributed to a successful bid led by the Council (with University of Exeter as a Knowledge Exchange partner) to the European Structural and Investment Fund resulting in a £3.5m green space development project (with an additional £2.9m follow-on project), currently delivering more than 60 hectares of improved urban green space quality and accessibility in Cornish towns.

Our evidence has also directly supported improvements in care settings and built confidence in staff to support residents to make use of their outdoor spaces. Our evidence synthesis of the beneficial impacts of gardens in care homes for people with dementia, together with a co-produced systematic review with the Sensory Trust, about older people’s sensory engagement with nature, has informed practice in care homes in the South West.

The Sensory Trust is a nationally leading authority on inclusive and sensory design, which works on delivery of large-scale UK government programmes. Our collaboration produced an evidence-based information and activity kit, My Nature.