A study by Glasgow Caledonian University has found that regeneration of the Forth and Clyde Canal in North Glasgow has led to a decrease in mortality rates in nearby areas.
The creation of a world-leading Smart Canal urban drainage system and the arrival of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, National Theatre of Scotland, and Scottish Opera to the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal have transformed it in recent years.
According to the study, this has helped to not only have a positive impact on health and health inequalities in the area, but also encourage a drop in the number of deaths over the past two decades in areas within the canal's proximity such as Maryhill and Possil - closing the gap in mortality between less and more affluent areas of Glasgow.
The study, entitled 'The Impact of Regeneration and Climate Adaptations of Urban Green–Blue Assets on All-Cause Mortality: A 17-Year Longitudinal Study', analysed the effects of proximity to the canal on mortality rates in Glasgow from 2001 to 2017.
Using a boundary area of the Glasgow city boundary to the north and the M8 motorway the south, the study shows that the average rate of decline in mortality over that two-decade period diminished with increased distance away from the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The results support the notion that regeneration of disused areas in Glasgow and further afield can have a positive impact on health and health inequalities by contributing to a change in the geographically unequal distribution of mortality rate.
However, the authors of the study also point out that the figures should be interpreted with caution as a direct causal link between the regeneration of specific canal assets (e.g. locks, bridges and waterway assets) and health benefits has yet to be established.
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