Last summer I spent 10 weeks as an intern with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, working in their District of Columbia office. As a student interested in urban environmental health, I have been deeply involved in the green stormwater infrastructure that the Alliance is helping to shape around Washington. And I asked myself, “How might these subtle efforts to improve our city lead to positive public health outcomes?”
Community volunteers, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay staff and contractors from landscaping company DC Go Green gather for rain garden installation training. (Courtesy of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay)
The idea that environmental protections improve public health outcomes is by no means new. In public health, it is widely recognized that medical care alone is not enough to improve health inequalities without taking into account the context in which people live. As scientific communities have recognized the negative impacts of concrete industrial landscapes, green urban renewal projects are being praised for their ability to improve environmental conditions, get people outdoors, and fulfill their human need to connect with nature.
However, the influences of green infrastructure are far more nuanced and diverse than many people realize. Enter “A Greening Theory of Change: How Greening Neighborhoods Affects Youth Health Disparities,” an article published in 2024 in the American Journal of Community Psychology.
This theory provides a useful framework for understanding the broad public health impacts of green infrastructure. It derives from other public health behavioral theories that imagine each of us in a series of concentric circles that represent our health outcomes. The innermost circle includes crucial factors such as safety, stress, food and shelter. Then come social factors such as personal relationships and community connection. Finally, there are environmental factors such as air and water quality that are most directly affected by conservation efforts.
Earth Conservation Corps members Matthew George and James Banks take a short break from working on a green roof at the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center in the District of Columbia. (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay)
The benefits of green spaces
So how can this be applied to green stormwater infrastructure across the district?
Well, to begin answering this question, I first spoke to various government officials, environmental health experts, and community organizers in and around the city. After these conversations, I began to see urban greening as another series of concentric circles that moved outward like ripples emanating from a stone thrown into a pond. The beneficial effects of every rain garden or bioswale installation radiate into the larger community.
Green infrastructure provides beautification, combats urban heat, reduces flooding and helps improve water quality. In Precincts 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River, targeted greening efforts could even be viewed as a form of environmental justice restoration due to past industrial activity that historically concentrated polluting infrastructure in that part of the city. This led to deteriorated air and water quality, increased exposure to pollutants and long-standing inequities in public health. For this reason, I narrowed my focus and decided to survey community members from these districts as they benefit most from greening projects.
A rain garden is being built at the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center in the District of Columbia to capture and filter rainwater. (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay)
Leveraging the alliance's connections within the community, I contacted Earth Conservation Corps members, RiverSmart Homes ambassadors, and some friendly participants at a Friday night fishing event sponsored by the Anacostia Riverkeeper. I then conducted standardized interviews with these generous people to understand the everyday health benefits of greening efforts across the city.
Reaction from the public and partners
The direct effects on physical health are perhaps the most obvious. Gardening, and gardening in general, encourages people to be active in their own backyards and can reasonably be considered a moderate-intensity exercise. Rain gardens and other forms of green infrastructure require regular maintenance, and in cases like the RiverSmart Homes program, there are incentives to encourage maintenance. “I check regularly,” said Travis Chase of landscaping company DC Go Green, “and I see that residents are motivated to keep the rain gardens functioning properly.”
This greater engagement with green spaces is often accompanied by reduced psychological distress and emotional relief. Tawanda Johnson, a neighborhood ambassador for RiverSmart Homes, said a rain garden can be an ideal “meditation space.” Matthew George of the Earth Conservation Corps says designing these projects can be a creative outlet. Others also reported stress relief and emotional catharsis, whether through participating in conservation activities or simply enjoying the beauty and tranquility of green spaces. Some respondents even noted a renewal of their spiritual connection to nature after their property was made greener.
Almost all participants noted that engaging in greening efforts gave them an increased sense of efficacy, pride, social connection, and responsibility. Earth Conservation Corps member James Banks is proud of the opportunity to educate school-aged children about their conservation efforts. He enjoys and finds meaning in “teaching the kids about things they don’t know and helping them connect with the plants and animals they see every day.”
Green infrastructure projects are more than just a source of beautification, flood mitigation or a little more shade when walking around the city. Perhaps most importantly, these projects inspire hope for a greener, healthier and fairer future. These projects have very tangible impacts and create more environmentally conscious, purpose-driven communities. It is nothing less than a public health tool – a source of empowerment, resilience and accountability that is disseminated to the communities that need it most.
Isaiah Hodges was a member of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 2025.
The views expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect those of the Bay Journal.