Urban green-blue spaces (UGBS) can benefit residents’ well-being through multiple pathways. Previous studies have confirmed that the quantity and composition of UGBS can promote neighborhood social cohesion, which subsequently contributes to residents’ physical and mental health. However, there has been little attention paid to the spatial patterns of UGBS in such relationships. This study adopted landscape pattern indexes to characterize the spatial patterns of UGBS and explored the mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ well-being, measured by self-rated health (SRH) and happiness. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used for analyses with data obtained from the 2018 Shandong Provincial Social Survey Questionnaire (SGSS), which included 773 selected residents in urban areas. The results indicated that (1) there was a mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ SRH and happiness; (2) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had greater impacts on enhancing neighborhood social cohesion than the size, complexity, and fragmentation; (3) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had indirect effects on improving happiness and SRH, and the aggregation of UGBS had a direct positive effect on SRH. By focusing on the spatial patterns of UGBS and neighborhood social cohesion, this study extends current debates on the pathways among UGBS, social cohesion, and public health. Urban planning strategies were proposed to increase the benefits of UGBS in urban areas.

This study examined the relationships between different types of urban green and blue space (UGS/UBS) and self-reported health (SRH), and the disparities in the health benefits associated with them. Using data from a social survey in Shandong Province and multi-source data including remote sensing land use and vector polygons of parks from map service providers, we measured the proximity and coverage ratio of various UGS/UBS types. The Euclidean distance measures the proximity of homes to parks and rivers. The coverage ratio measures the total green space, forests, grassland, and freshwater. The health benefits were gauged by SRH. We found that the proximity to parks and rivers had a positive influence on the SRH of all the respondents. For the elderly, the proximity to parks and the coverage ratio of total green space and grassland within a 0.5 km circular buffer were significantly associated with SRH. The coverage ratio of the total green space and grassland both had positive relationships with the SRH of the high-income groups. The closer they were to rivers, the healthier the youth and females were. Our results suggest that urban planners should take the types of UGS/UBS into account to create a better living environment that optimally benefits residents’ SRH.

Walking environment is commonly cited as an element that reduces the risk of obesity. Many literatures have shown that the impact of walking environment on the incidence rate of obesity may vary across gender, but few studies have conducted in-depth investigations. The present study aimed to provide empirical evidence for a cross-sectional association between the built community environment and the incidence of obesity among male and female residents. Thus, we collected height and weight level of 1355 residents and constructed seven walking environment indicators around 54 communities. Also, BMI was calculated and categorized to define overweight and obesity. We used generalized estimation equation to evaluate the gender-specific association between walking environment on obesity based on a diverse population sample. The study showed that female residents who lived in neighborhoods with higher road sky view index (p = 0.033; OR = 0.002 [95% CI = 0.001–0.619]) and increased intersection density (p = 0.009; OR = 0.979 [95% CI = 0.963–0.995]) showed lower risk of increased BMI, but the advantage does not successfully radiate significant obesity consequences. In addition, the increased density of bus stops can also reduce the risk of obesity in women groups (p = 0.035; OR = 0.910 [95% CI = 0.836–0.990]). These findings suggest that women were more sensitive and were more likely to make different behavioral choices and physiological responses due to distinct walking environments. This provides useful evidence for future obesity prevention and urban planning.