Link: https://www.kyosu.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=145256

Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866725003978

A research team led by Prof. Kangjae Lee of the Department of Location-Based Information System at Kyungpook National University (KNU), in collaboration with Prof. Matthew Browning of Clemson University and the nature-data analysis firm NatureQuant, has published a study revealing that U.S. public schools with higher proportions of low-income and minority students have significantly lower access to natural environments.

Utilizing 'NatureScore™,' a metric developed by NatureQuant to evaluate the quality and quantity of natural surroundings—including green and blue spaces—for over 65,000 public schools across the United States, the study found a consistent trend: schools serving marginalized student populations scored lower across the board. In urban areas, the gap in NatureScore (on a scale of 0 to 100) between schools attended by wealthy students and those serving underprivileged students reached as high as 20 to 25 points. While the disparity was smaller in rural areas, it remained statistically significant.

The joint research team explained that children in marginalized communities face structural barriers to accessing nature, which can negatively impact their stress levels, cognitive functions, and overall health and well-being. The study recommends intensive greening initiatives—such as tree planting, the creation of pocket parks, and nature-based learning—specifically for underserved school districts.

"Access to nature is not just an environmental issue; it is a social challenge directly linked to educational equity," stated Prof. Kangjae Lee. "Tailored greening policies for vulnerable students can contribute to improving both health and academic performance." He added, "This research is significant as it presents a new approach to solving environmental and educational inequalities through international collaboration between academia and industry."

Prof. Kangjae Lee served as the corresponding author, and Ashraf Khadija, a PhD student in the Department of Convergence & Fusion System Engineering, was the lead author. This study was conducted as part of the Korea-Türkiye Cooperation Foundation Project supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). The findings were published on September 9, 2025 in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, a top-tier international journal ranked in the upper 1.6% of the JCR Forestry category.