By: Shujuan Li, PhD; Esther Sternberg, MD, PhD; and Alden E. Stoner, CEO, Nature Sacred
When we ask people what makes a neighborhood livable, most point to the same things, including a nearby grocery store and access to healthcare.
But you might be surprised to learn that there’s another, quieter component, too often overlooked, that is appearing high on this list.
A recently published peer-reviewed study conducted at The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative’s Naval Cemetery Landscape reports that when residents were asked to prioritize amenities, their answers weren’t limited to food or transportation. Overwhelmingly, people named two things: a grocery store and green space.
In a city where some neighborhoods still struggle with limited access to fresh food, that finding should stop us in our tracks. No one is saying that green space should replace food access. But this data makes something clear: residents in historically disinvested urban neighborhoods are telling us that green space is not just “nice to have.” They need it.
At Nature Sacred, we’ve seen this firsthand for decades. We help communities create Sacred Places: small, intentional green spaces built for healing, reflection, and connection. These aren’t massive parks or sports fields. They often take shape in modest spaces, tucked behind apartment buildings, in hospital courtyards, or on once-vacant lots reclaimed by neighbors. People have told us these spaces helped them through grief, loneliness, and the wear and tear of daily life.
Dr. Esther Sternberg, an advisor on this Brooklyn project, said: “Having worked with Nature Sacred for close to two decades, I have witnessed the subjective and objective benefits of such healing spaces on both physical and emotional health. In our joint study of the Walter Reed National Medical Center’s Green Road project we found reductions in cortisol and improved heart rate variability in many of the participants who walked the forest glen path. The current study provides another perspective and broader layer of evidence, showing the positive impacts of such sanctuary places at the community level.”
This research quantifies what residents and community leaders have been saying for years. Nature supports health. It lowers chronic stress, improves mental well-being, and helps people feel less alone. In communities where the trauma of systemic neglect has accumulated over generations, even a small patch of nature can begin to restore something larger.
Yet green space is often an afterthought, something to fund if there’s budget left after allocating for roads and buildings.
Green space is essential infrastructure. Everywhere. It deserves the same planning and investment as schools, clinics, transit, and yes, grocery stores. To thrive, both science and people are saying: nearby nature is a necessity.
At Nature Sacred, we help communities create the spaces they already know they need. Places that reflect their culture, their vision, and that offer a place of beauty and belonging.
These places show what’s possible when communities lead. But if we keep treating infrastructure as only concrete and buildings, we’ll miss what people are telling us they need to truly live well.
