Urbanization changes natural spaces with soil and vegetation to buildings and hardscape (streets, parking lots) which in Arizona creates a heat island effect where hardscape absorbs heat all day and releases it at night. To help decrease this warming effect we must decrease some of our hardscape by bringing the natural cooling effect back into our urban spaces. Working with urban planners to create more parks and greenspace along our roads. As temperature increase so does anxiety, stress, and aggressive behavior, minimizing these heat island can decrease the occurrence of many of these mental health disorders.

Clean air from an ocean or forest is seen as healthy, peaceful, and soothing. Instead of having to go to those locations, clean air should be all around us. This decreases mental distress, fatigue and psychological challenges from respiratory illness. These solutions include decreasing consumption of fossil fuels for transportation and energy production and increasing greenspace in our communities.

Biodiversity of nature around us creates a multisensory experience which is calm and relaxing. When combined with green infrastructure our urban spaces become less intense and distressing. Mixing in stormwater management can keep these biodiverse greenspaces with fresh clean water. This supports many forms of life and replenishes our water table, providing us with access to clean water which helps with normal brain function. We need to make sure this is implemented in areas with disproportionately less green infrastructure- communities of color and those of lower socioeconomic income.