Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 14342-14363; doi:10.3390/ijerph121114342 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ISSN 1660-4601 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Article Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods Yang Zhang 1,*, Terry van Dijk 1, Jianjun Tang 2 and Agnes E. van den Berg 3 1 Department of Spatial Planning & Environment, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Landleven 1, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK; E-Mail:
[email protected] 3 Department of Culture Geography, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Landleven 1, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
[email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +31-50-363-4557; Fax: +31-50-363-3901. Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou Received: 2 October 2015 / Accepted: 5 November 2015 / Published: 12 November 2015 Abstract: The positive relationships between urban green space and health have been well documented. Little is known, however, about the role of residents’ emotional attachment to local green spaces in these relationships, and how attachment to green spaces and health may be promoted by the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The present research aimed to examine the links between self-reported health, attachment to green space, and the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. Data were collected via paper-mailed surveys in two neighborhoods (n = 223) of a medium-sized Dutch city in the Netherlands.