Page 37 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

Public Space and Nature, and Environmental Quality

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark SDG

Green Areas
(per 100 000 67 240.10 ha
inhabitants)

Green Area Accessibility 98.86 %

Protected Natural Areas 2.88 %

Recreational Facilities
(per 100 000 77 745.85 m 2
inhabitants)

EMF Exposure 100.00 %

Noise Exposure 6.09 %

Ålesund performs very well across these two sets of KPIs.

The presence of such space and their accessibility are important, as green spaces in urban ecosystems
help produce oxygen and naturally mitigate levels of air pollution, including airborne particulate matter.
Moreover, green areas not only help cool cities and provide refuge from urban noise, they also help
facilitate physical activity such as walking and biking, social interaction, recreation and relaxation. WHO
has recently estimated that physical inactivity, resulting from poor walkability and lack of access to
recreational areas, accounts for 3.3 per cent of deaths worldwide.

Optimizing public spaces: Green spaces also help improve mental wellbeing and health. WHO suggests
that physical activity in a natural space can help alleviate mild depression and lessen physiological
stress. 29

Many ITU Recommendations in the K-series: ‘Protection against interference’ can provide further
insight into limiting and managing the effects of EMFs.

U4SSC Factsheet | Ålesund, Norway | June 2020 31