For many of us, the advantages of living outside the city are quite obvious. This is a feeling of calm, an escape from the hustle of the city and merging with nature. Space for children and pets, not shackled by the walls of a city apartment.
If earlier leaving the city meant losing a lot of advantages of infrastructure, at the moment, it has expanded so much that you will not feel any difference. Sports clubs and supermarkets nearby, children's clubs and leisure clubs for everyone - all this has become as accessible as possible for residents of suburban settlements. Neighbors are also one of the obvious advantages. Usually, these are people of a similar level of interests and incomes. If you look closely, you’ll see that future investors for your new project live nearby, producers for the implementation of creative ideas, as well as many people who you can rely on, get inspired by and just have fun together.
But there are also not so obvious advantages for living in an eco-friendly place.
TOP 5 advantages:
According to official scientific studies, living in nature doubles creativity. Participants in a recent study went on a 4-6-day trip to the desert. A study found that four days of immersing themselves in nature without gadgets increased their productivity in creative activities as well as problem solving by 50 percent (Atchley et al.). The psychologists explain that the modern society is full of sudden events (sirens, phone calls, alarms, television, etc.) that take attention. In contrary, natural environments associated with the gentle, soft charm of greenery increase concentration on things that are necessary.
Nature improves memory and this is no joke! Short-term memory can be improved by 20% after taking a walk in nature or even just looking at it. Marc G. Berman and colleagues at the University of Michigan tested the effects of landscape on cognitive function (Berman, Jonides & Kaplan). Their experiments showed that the test results of the study participants who just walked among trees improved by almost 20% compared to those who walked along a busy street before taking the test.
Living in nature helps relieve the effects of urbanism on mental health. Those who live in cities can be hopeful: moving to greener urban areas improves mental health for at least three years. Lead researcher Ian Alcock said: "We’ve shown that individuals who move to greener areas have significant and long-lasting improvements in mental health. These findings are important for urban planners thinking about introducing new green spaces to our towns and cities."
Natural landscapes significantly improve brain function. Looking at pastoral landscapes helps the brain to work in sync, say researchers from the University of Sheffield (Hunter et al.). On the contrary, man-made environments disrupt the connections within the brain.
Natural spaces awaken a sense of belonging. Children who spend more time outdoors have an increased perception of beauty, color, symmetry and balance in nature, as well as improved imagination and curiosity. Gretel Van Wieren, lead researcher of the study that showed these results, commented: "Modern life has created a distance between humans and nature that now we’re realizing isn’t good in a whole host of ways."
Based on research on the impact of nature on humans, the Easy Home team has developed a project of noopolises - settlements that meet all the modern demands. The combination of developed infrastructure and a supportive environment will allow residents of noopolises to enjoy all the benefits of living outside the city.