Even the most avid townies among us need a little breather from city life every now and then, but that doesn\u2019t always mean you\u00a0have to\u00a0leave its concrete perimeter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some cities have been built in and around brilliant natural spaces, be them beaches, nature reserves or mountainous landscapes, and others have been taking impressive steps to retrospectively add some green to their streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Green spaces are pretty darn good for us, after all \u2013 spending time in nature has been widely proven to reduce stress and improve our mental health, and they encourage us to be active for our physical health, too. In fact, research<\/a> has found that spending time in green space actually prolongs your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s all the good it does<\/a> for our general environment. Having open green spaces improves air quality and helps keep stuffy urban temperatures a little cooler, as well as eases the risk of flooding. But which city offers its locals the best green spaces?<\/p>\n To find that out, Time Out quizzed 18,500 people from cities across the planet, and the 20\u00a0that made the list below had the highest share of \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018amazing\u2019 ratings for their green space and access to nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recommended: These are the best national parks in the world<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The best of the best was Medell\u00edn<\/strong>, Colombia\u2019s second city, where a whopping 92 percent of locals positively rated the green space and access to nature. It\u2019s known as the \u2018city of eternal spring\u2019, with consistently high daytime temperatures thanks to a trade-wind tropical climate \u2013 however, greenery is how the city stays cool. Back in 2016, a scheme to add \u2018green corridors<\/a>\u2019 to Medell\u00edn\u2019s sprawling (and scorching hot) concrete streets began, and in the first three years of the project, the city\u2019s overall temperature fell by 2C.\u00a0<\/p>\n Medell\u00edn also has a river running through its centre, where a network of riverside parks<\/a>\u00a0offers\u00a0280 trees and 38,052 square metres of green space. There are also\u00a0loads of natural spaces just outside the city, such as R\u00edo Claro Valley, a stunning reserve where you can swim or get involved in some water sports.<\/p>\n In second place? That would be Boston<\/a><\/strong>, which also came second for walkability in our survey<\/a>.\u00a0Eighty-eight percent of Bostonians that we spoke to described the city\u2019s green space and access to nature as \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018amazing\u2019. We\u2019ve got a list of\u00a0Boston\u2019s best parks here<\/a>, the most iconic being Boston Common<\/a>, the most visited green space in the city and the oldest park in the US.\u00a0<\/p>\n Third place went to Sydney<\/a><\/strong>, which doesn\u2019t just brag excellent green spaces<\/a>, but\u00a0is also a great base for properly getting out and exploring. On the city\u2019s northwest perimeter, you\u2019ll find the Blue Mountains National Park<\/a>, and there are also more than 100 beaches in Sydney<\/a>\u00a0popular for everything from sunbathing to snorkelling, surfing to kayaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n These are the 20 best cities in the world for green space and access to nature<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Medell<\/strong>\u00ed<\/strong>n<\/strong>, Colombia, 92 percent Alongside green space, we also used insight from locals to rank the\u00a0best cities in the world for walkability<\/a> and public transport<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and here\u2019s our latest\u00a0annual list of the\u00a0world\u2019s\u00a0best cities<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Did you see that <\/strong>this is officially the most beautiful place in the world, according to Time Out<\/strong><\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n Plus: <\/strong>The world\u2019s most vibrant gardens, according to science<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
2. Boston<\/strong>, US, 88 percent
3. Sydney<\/strong>, Australia, 87 percent
= London<\/strong>, UK, 87 percent
5. Austin<\/strong>, US, 86 percent
= Edinburgh<\/strong>, UK, 86 percent
= Melbourne<\/strong>, Australia, 86 percent
8. Denver<\/strong>, US, 84 percent
9. Abu Dhabi<\/strong>, UAE, 83 percent
= Cape Town<\/strong>, South Africa, 83 percent
= Chicago<\/strong>, US, 83 percent
12. San Francisco<\/strong>, US, 82 percent
= Stockholm<\/strong>, Sweden, 82 percent
14. Montreal<\/strong>, Canada, 81 percent
= Munich<\/strong>, Germany, 81 percent
16. Mumbai<\/strong>, India, 79 percent
17. Beijing<\/strong>, China, 78 percent
18. Zurich<\/strong>, Switzerland, 77 percent
= Ottawa<\/strong>, Canada, 77 percent
20. Brisbane<\/strong>, Australia, 76 percent<\/p>\n