Natural or artificial? Exploring perceived restoration potential of community parks in Winter city

Urban community parks, as widely distributed and frequently used small public urban green spaces, play an essential role in meeting the growing needs of residents for recovery. However, previous studies focus on the restorative benefits of nature and have rarely measured the restoration of winter scenes and artificial scenes. This paper selects a typical small community park in the winter city of China and studies how landscape elements affect restorative benefits through the setting of seasonal virtual scenes. Respondents were asked to rate natural, dynamic and seasonal virtual scenes in terms of sense of being away, extent, fascination, compatibility, and restorative potential. The results show plants with rich layers and large coverage areas have a significant positive impact on human perception of recovery, vitality facilities have no significant impact on perceived recovery, and the number of active people has a significant negative impact on perceived recovery. The plant landscape in winter and summer has the same effect on attention recovery, and seasonally induced changes in plant vision can enhance restorative benefits.     

Pocket parks for people – A study of park design and use

The present study focuses on small urban public parks, specifically on how they should be designed to promote a potential for psychological restoration and on what activities people could imagine doing in such parks. Students from Oslo University College were presented with visual stimuli depicting 74 small urban parks. They were asked to assess how likely it was that they could rest and recover in the parks presented in the photos. In addition, the participants were asked to write down what park components contributed to high versus low ratings on restoration likelihood, and what types of activities they could imagine doing in the parks presented in the photos. The components and activities the participants mentioned were grouped into categories describing similar properties. The categories mentioned most frequently and giving high ratings on restoration likelihood represented natural categories such as: ‘a lot of grass’, ‘a lot of flowers/plants’ and ‘water features’. In contrast, the categories contributing to low ratings on restoration likelihood represented lack of vegetation or disturbance from the surroundings such as: ‘a lot of hard surfaces’, ‘a lot of traffic’ and ‘poorly shielded from the surroundings’. The activities mentioned as being typically performed in the types of parks presented in the photos were ‘relax and philosophize’, ‘read’ and ‘eat/drink’. Conclusions drawn from the study: Small urban parks should be designed with natural components, shielded from disturbing surroundings and furnished with some seating to promote opportunities for restorative experiences and to function as social meeting places.     

Exploring the use and perceptions of inner-city small urban parks: A case study of Budapest,Hungary

Globally, accelerating urbanization has led to a severe shortage of urban green spaces. This scarcity is particularly acute in inner cities with high population densities and ratios of built-up areas. To explore park visitors’ usage and perceptions, we present the results of a survey of 681 individuals from different socioeconomic groups conducted in four small urban parks in Budapest, Hungary’s capital. The survey results found that people living near the block parks were their primary users, but many people from distant areas also visited the parks due to their good accessibility. In addition, findings show that the green components of the parks were generally more satisfactory to users than other amenities, indicating higher quality expectations for cultural ecosystem services in small urban green spaces. However, perceptions of park safety varied across socioeconomic groups, suggesting that views of safety did not necessarily reflect actual park security. Finally, while most respondents stated they would not want to contribute to park maintenance, young people, particularly neighborhood newcomers, showed greater willingness to volunteer for such work.     

Impact of urban park’s tree,grass and waterbody on microclimate in hot summer days: A case study of Olympic Park in Beijing,China

Urban heat island (UHI) often cause negative impact and has been linked to heart stroke rate, morality, human comfort, energy consumption and air pollution. Fortunately, urban green spaces have been considered as an effective element to mitigate UHI through their cooling effect. However, further empirical research is necessary in order to efficiently guide the design and planning of urban green space. We observed the impacts of urban park's tree, grass and waterbody on microclimate inside the Olympic park of Beijing during summer days. The results indicated that, on average, the park was 0.48–1.12 °C cooler during the day, as well as increased air humidity 2.39–3.74% and reduced human comfort index 1.02–2.43 to generate more comfortable thermal environment. Urban park's cluster trees with short ground vegetation generated higher cooling effect than single trees, grass and waterbodies; proper irrigation regime enhanced the cooling effect of grasses, even the irrigated grass have similar cooling effect with small waterbody on sunny, windless summer days. Therefore, we advise to increase undergrowth coverage and grass irrigation management in order to take advantage of cooling effect of urban parks.     

Stress recovery and restorative effects of viewing different urban park scenes in Shanghai,China

ObjectivesMany studies have found that natural environments benefit human health and wellbeing, but few have measured restorativeness of specific landscape components, especially in Chinese settings. Because the rapid urbanization of China is accompanied by increasing predomination of hardscape components in cities, the restorative quality of urban green space is a crucial issue. This study explored the stress recovery effects of different videotaped scenes, using six urban parks and one urban roadway scene. Potentially restorative urban park scenes were controlled for nature-based vs. hardscape components, presence/absence of people, and level of openness.MethodsSubjects were Chinese university students (N = 140) aged 18–24. After completing an oral exam as a stressor, an equal number of males and females were randomly assigned to watch one of the seven videotaped scenes during a stress recovery stage, while data were collected on changes in stress and attentional levels. Physiological responses were measured by Electrocardiography (ECG) and Skin Conductance Response (SCR). Psychological responses were measured by the state (short-term) version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), the Digit Span Backwards (DSB) test, and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS).ResultsIn a Chinese sample, this study confirmed previous findings that nature-based urban park scenes relieved stress and restored attentional levels, while viewing an urban roadway increased negative feelings. Overall perceived restorativeness was significantly higher in two scenes depicting a Lawn without people and a Small Lake, compared with a paved Plaza with or without people, confirming previous findings that restorativeness is associated with predominance of nature-based landscape components. This study also confirmed previous findings that outdoor scenes without people were more restorative than scenes depicting people.DiscussionThis study found different levels of restorativeness associated with different landscape features, and helped confirm that nature-based components are more likely to reduce stress than hardscape components, using Chinese urban scenes with a Chinese population. Findings can be used in future planning and design of urban spaces in China, emphasizing the value of parks and green spaces in relevant contexts.     

Restorative properties of green sheltered spaces and their morphological characteristics in urban parks

The properties of green space for physical and mental health have been widely demonstrated, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have systematically focused on spatial indicator thresholds that provide a sense of refuge with restoration benefits. Four morphological indicators as area, coverage, enclosure, and the ratio of width to height(D/H), were quantified for thirty-one scenes in outdoor green sheltered spaces in seven urban parks of Harbin in China. The results show that the sense of refuge and the morphological character of a green space constitute elements that influence restorative properties. Green spaces with different morphological indicators have different restorative properties. The morphological indicator ranges that produce better restorative properties were obtained: 250–500 m² for area, 0.25–0.35 for coverage, 0.3–0.4 or 0.8–1 for enclosure, and 0.7–1.5 for D/H. This can provide references for the construction of restorative activity spaces in urban parks.     

Taxonomic diversity,functional diversity and evolutionary uniqueness in bird communities of Beijing's urban parks: Effects of land use and vegetation structure

The importance of biodiversity conservation is well recognized, and the loss of biodiversity is particularly evident in highly urbanized areas. On the other hand, green spaces inside cities, as parks, can provide a resource for maintaining and increasing biodiversity, especially for bird species. However, only a few studies have addressed the effects of vegetation structure and land use composition on different components of biodiversity.Here, we explored the response of bird community composition to environmental differences related to land use composition and vegetation structure in green spaces in the city of Beijing, China. We compared the values of taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and community evolutionary distinctiveness in breeding bird communities, among ten urban parks of the world's third most populous city. Variation partitioning analysis and generalized linear mixed models were used to explore the unique and shared effects of land use composition and vegetation structure on each biodiversity metric.Park size was not associated with the diversity of bird communities in Beijing. Land use composition was the best predictor of change in bird community composition, followed by vegetation structure at ground level and the intersection between land use and vegetation structure at tree level. Water coverage increased bird species richness, while the presence of large trees increased both taxonomic diversity and bird functional richness in urban parks. Finally, the presence of patches of deciduous trees showed a positive effect on the average score of evolutionary distinctiveness of bird communities. In conclusion, we highlight that different elements of the environment are supporting different components of bird community diversity.     

Tree composition and diversity in relation to urban park history in Hong Kong,China

In densely populated cities that are dominated by concrete buildings, urban parks serve as major green infrastructures for ecological and environmental functions. Trees are one of the important components that support these green infrastructures. Despite plenty of urban parks established in Hong Kong in the last 20 years, knowledge of tree composition and diversity is outdated. There were also no studies that investigated the differences in tree diversity in relation to park history. Therefore, this study aims to identify the temporary changes in tree composition and diversity in Hong Kong, by conducting a plot-based tree survey in 32 urban parks of different ages. Overall, 2801 trees belonging to 181 species were recorded in 319 plots across all the parks. A ridit analysis was conducted and it indicated the mature size of trees were not significantly larger in old parks. However, the linear mixed-effects models and the post-hoc tests suggested that DBH, tree height and the proportion of crown dieback for each class of tree size were greater in the old parks. Moreover, the composition of top-ranking dominant tree species varied substantially, where more ornamental and exotic trees were adopted in new parks. For species richness, the sample-based species accumulation curves of different park age overlapped when the horizontal axis of the curve was scaled by the average number of combined individual trees. When the horizontal axis was scaled by the number of plots, the curve for the old parks was above the curve for the new parks. The differences derived from these two accumulation methods indicated a higher tree density in old parks. For species evenness, both the rank-abundance curves and Rényi diversity curves depicted a similar low species evenness in old and new parks. These results suggested that species diversity remained largely unchanged from old parks to new parks though the dominant tree species varied. Greater attention should be paid to increase the species evenness in all urban parks, increase tree density in new parks and improve tree maintenance in old parks.     

Effects of urban parks on the local urban thermal environment

Air temperatures in and outside of 60 parks in Taipei city were surveyed to study the effect of different urban parks on their surrounding thermal gradients. Results suggest that the factors governing the temperature of park surroundings are not identical to those of park interiors. Air-temperature gradients surrounding urban parks are influenced by both the horizontal transport of cool or warm air mass above parks and the evapotranspirative air-parcels from trees, creating a cool island larger than the boundaries of cool-island parks, a heat-island larger than the boundaries of strong heat-island parks, and a cool-ring outside weak heat-island parks. Such horizontal air movement is not easily detected using remotely sensed data. During daytime, the thermal environment within a park is dominated by the amount of solar input absorbed by unshaded paved area, which, when strong, can overflow to increase the temperatures of park surroundings; at night, despite park trees causing a warming effect inside parks, park surroundings are cooled by horizontal flow of evapotranspirative air-parcels from park trees. In business and other districts used mostly during daytime, it is recommended that parks and other open spaces be designed with less than 50% paved area and at least 30% trees, shrubs, and other shadings. In residential districts that are used mostly during nighttime, parks and other open spaces are recommended to be designed with more trees. Night irrigation, a measure commonly recommended for the conservation of water, is also recommended to further enhance this nighttime cooling.     

Relationships between socio-demographic / socio-economic characteristics and neighborhood green space in four Nordic municipalities – results from NORDGREEN

Urban green space governs important ecosystem services including providing health promoting facilities. However, unequal distribution of green space among socio-demographic and socio-economic groups may create environmental injustice among inhabitants and between neighborhoods. This paper reports on access to different types of green space for residents in four Nordic cities. More precisely it explores relationships between socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics and access to green space at the neighbourhood level. We selected the following green space variables: distance between inhabitants’ dwellings and parks, forest, and cemeteries; percentages and area per inhabitant of parks, forest, and cemeteries; and vegetation cover derived from satellite images and Urban Atlas. These were linked to income, education, age, and percentage of the population born outside their country of residence at a neighbourhood level. The results show that inhabitants in the four Nordic cities have great access to green space, but the percentage of different types of green space, such as forest and parks, varies between the cities and within the cities. We found that most inhabitants have less than 300 m to the nearest green space ranging from 92% in Stavanger (Norway) to 99.2% in Täby (Sweden). We also found differences in access depending on inhabitants' age, education, immigration status, and median income. Espoo (Finland) had the highest total green space coverage (45.3%), while Täby had the highest proportion of park coverage (2.3%). By compensating with green spaces in less affluent areas, and focusing on equal access to green space, planners can contribute to reduce health inequalities in the population.     

Understanding the relationship between small urban parks and mental health: A case study in Shanghai,China

The literature to date has mainly explored the impact on public mental health of green spaces around residential areas, large urban parks, family gardens, blue spaces, national parks, etc., while few studies have examined the association of Small Urban Green Spaces (SUGS) with public mental health. The role, function, and service radius of SUGS in urban people’s lives are quite different from those of general green spaces, and the relationship and mechanism linking general green spaces to mental health cannot be fully applied to small parks. This work was conducted to: 1) investigate the relationship between SUGS and mental health; 2) understand what factors affect mental health; 3) determine what kind of SUGS is more conducive to improving mental health. SUGS’ designs and physical characteristics were evaluated with the Natural Environment Scoring Tool (NEST) and user information for 10 SUGS (1–5 ha) in Shanghai in 2021 was collected via a questionnaire. We developed a multilevel model for exploring the factors affecting mental health from two aspects: the individual level and the park level. This study found that SUGS and mental health were positively associated. In addition to individual–level variables like income, marital status, social cohesion, and use frequency, park–level variables such as usability, aesthetics–natural features, and civilized environment are also conducive to improving mental health, while entertainment facilities in SUGS have a negative association with mental health. There was no evidence that visit frequency, stay time, social cohesion, or physical exercise act as a mediator between park features and mental health. This study provides empirical evidence for the positive correlation between SUGS and mental health and presents a means of promoting public mental health with efficient SUGS planning and management.     

Urban park use and self-reported physical,mental, and social health during the COVID-19 pandemic: An on-site survey in Beijing,China

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for people’s health. Studies have demonstrated the positive impact of urban green spaces, particularly urban parks, on physical and mental health. However, few studies have evaluated social health, which is a component of human health, and more understanding of the relationship between urban parks and human health during the COVID-19 pandemic is required. This study examined the effects of urban parks on people’s health using a canonical correlation model. Physical, mental, and social health were the dependent health variables, and five factors related to urban parks were the independent variables. This study investigated 22 urban parks inside the Forth Ring Road in Beijing, China using a questionnaire survey. The results demonstrated a positive association between urban parks and human health during the pandemic. Distance to the parks, park area, and park size were positively correlated with physical, mental, and social health. Furthermore, frequency and duration of visits to urban parks were positively associated with mental health and contact with neighbors. The health effects of urban park use varied with park types and locations’ urbanization background. These findings can provide insights for health-oriented urban park planning and construction.     

Urban Green infrastructures: How much did they affect property prices in Singapore?

In 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals were outlined within the 2030 Agenda by the United Nations. Objective 11.7 aims to provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces, highlighting the strategic role of these areas in cities. In the international literature, the theory of Ecosystem Services (ESs) has been developed to raise public awareness of the need to preserve biodiversity, enhance community cohesion, civic identity, and quality of life. In this study, we explored the economic value of Singapore's Urban Green Infrastructures (UGI) by investigating the private condominium and apartment unit market through the Hedonic Pricing Method (HPM). The HPM was integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) to spatialize housing units, measure the distance of different green spaces, and consider the dependence effects among housing unit transactions. The results highlighted a positive effect on values of the proximity to the natural green areas, as well as to the regional, city parks, and small nature areas. The annual benefits of UGIs on households within 800 m range from 10,305,275 USD for nature areas to 59,723,703 USD for the city parks and 74,011,689 USD for the regional parks. Estimates showed the small contribution of park connectors (PCN) and neighborhood parks. The HPM results are a useful aid to understanding the amenity value of UGIs. The modeling outcomes could be used to inform policymakers and municipal green managers about UGIs preservation and new allocation starting from households’ preferences.     

Humanization of nature: Testing the influences of urban park characteristics and psychological factors on collegers’ perceived restoration

Previous studies have mainly focused on the independent role of landscape characteristics or preference on psychological restoration respectively. However, few studies have explored the complex relationships between restorative effects, landscape characteristics, preference and place bonding factors, particularly in urban parks. The development of new data environment and technique methods enables such a synthesis of innovative approach to reveal the influences of urban park characteristics and various psychological factors on collegers’ perceived restoration. A typical urban park in Wuhan, China, was selected for pilot study, in which 1560 crowdsourced images were collected using the Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) tool. With the help of Deep Learning techniques, landscape characteristics were combined with perceptual factors for the Partial Least Squares (PLS) based statistical analysis. It was found that some landscape properties, such as vegetation and water, presented indirect impacts in activating restoration via psychological mediators. The mediating effect of sense of place and the moderating effects of landscape characteristics on the preference-restoration nexus were revealed. These findings shed new light on the complex process in environmental restoration in which psychological and physical factors are intertwined. At the end, theoretical and managerial implications were proposed for the improvement of landscape planning in restoration studies.     

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact urban green spaces? A multi-scale assessment of Jeddah megacity (Saudi Arabia)

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a global public health threat. In this crisis period, urban parks provided multiple ecosystem services and direct/indirect benefits to mental and physical health. However, the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of urban park visitors remained unexplored in Saudi cities. This study aimed to find out the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of people regarding urban parks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the findings were compared with non-pandemic periods. Two urban parks (Al Masarah Garden and Al Jamaa Garden) in Jeddah megacity (Saudi Arabia) were assessed, and 215 respondents were surveyed to fulfil the objectives of the study. The study applied a questionnaire survey and field observations to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of urban park visitors. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests) were performed to find out the impact of sociodemographic factors (such as age, gender, and education). From the results, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the use, attitudes, and perceptions of urban parks in comparison with non-pandemic periods. The number of park visitors decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but urban parks were crucial to people’s mental and physical well-being. The findings of this study may help to understand the importance of urban parks as green spaces and to implement measures to enhance the quality and quantity of urban green spaces in Saudi cities.     

Biodiversity in sacred urban spaces of Bengaluru,India

Urban green spaces provide critical social and ecological support for cities, but we know little about their diversity and composition in cities of the Global South. This is especially true of lesser known urban spaces such as sacred sites, which are of important cultural and biodiversity significance. We examine tree diversity and composition in sacred sites in Bengaluru, one of India’s fastest growing cities. We recorded 5504 trees from 93 species across 62 temples, churches, and Hindu, Christian and Muslim cemeteries in central areas of Bengaluru. Over half (52%) of the tree species were of native origin, a much higher proportion when compared to other green spaces in the city such as parks. Tree density in sacred sites was much higher than that in parks and informal settlements in Bengaluru. Temples and Hindu cemeteries contained the highest proportion of native species, with large numbers of Ficus benghalensis, a keystone sacred species. Trees in sacred spaces provide an important buffer against urban environmental stress in Indian cities, and serve as refuges for urban wildlife and biodiversity. We need greater information on these lesser known, but culturally significant alternate spaces. They play an important, though ignored role in the environmental sustainability of rapidly growing cities in the Global South.     

Visual structure of landscapes seen from built environment

Vegetation in cities keeps climate warming down and improves the health of people and ecosystems while making for a pleasant urban setting. Contemporary urban planning promotes sustainable green cities. Green and blue infrastructures, which help maintain an eco-friendly environment, are the primary instruments of this movement. This paper attempts to show the relative weight of plant life (trees, grass, orchards, etc.) seen from buildings in different urban settings (local urban patterns of high or low density of buildings). Landscapes open to view are identified by combining a digital elevation model and an 11-class land-use layer (including buildings, facilities, grey infrastructures, green and blue surfaces) in a computational tool that calculates viewsheds. The results show that vegetation is very much present in urban landscapes. In high-density built areas of city centres, the landscape is varied although not open and is dominated by trees, low-rise residential buildings and grass. Grey infrastructures and bushes are also very common. In low-density built areas the rank order of objects in view is similar but the landscape is more panoramic.     

Tree crown traits and planting context contribute to reducing urban heat

Urban warming affects many millions of city dwellers worldwide. The current study evaluated the extent to which trees reduce air and surface temperatures in urban settings across Greater Sydney, Australia. Summertime air and surface temperatures were measured directly in the shade of 470 individual trees planted in three contrasting contexts (parks, nature strips, asphalt) and compared with temperatures in paired adjacent areas receiving full sunlight. Differences between shade and sunlit temperatures were evaluated against measured morphological traits (leaf area index [LAI], clear stem height, crown depth, height and diameter at breast height) for all trees. On average, tree shade reduced mean and maximum air temperatures by 1.1 °C and 3.7 °C, respectively. Temperatures of standardised reference surfaces (black and white tiles and artificial grass) in tree shade were up to 45 °C lower compared to full-sun exposure, and were also lower in parks and nature strips compared to asphalt settings. The surface temperature of shaded natural grass was cooler compared to sunlit natural grass, although this difference did not vary between nature strip and park settings. The magnitude of air and surface temperature reductions due to tree shade was significantly, positively related to tree-level LAI and these relationships were stronger in asphalt and park contexts compared to nature strips. These findings can inform decisions made by urban managers and planners around the selection of tree characteristics to enhance cooling benefits in different contexts, as an important step towards more liveable and resilient cities.     

Swedish green space management – The managers perspective

This study has initiated the first stages of assessing the current state of Swedish parks through the use of a comprehensive survey sent to all Swedish park managers during the spring of 2016. The aim was to review the state of the Swedish public parks and undertake an assessment and analysis of the key issues and challenges that public parks in Sweden are currently facing. The Park Managers Survey was carried out as an online questionnaire sent to all local community (municipal) park managers and park departments in Sweden. The survey addressed issues of finance and resourcing; the quantity and quality of parks being managed; organizational arrangements for maintenance; information on park visitors and volunteers; and, issues of strategic policy making. The Swedish municipal green space managers regard the current quality of their green spaces to be fine and budgets for upkeep sufficient, just as they look optimistically into the nearest future. Their nearest future does not seem to have focus on voluntary support and alliances with local stakeholders in relation to the actual maintenance of green spaces. Both these trends contradict their UK counterparts. Swedish managers seem to be building a strong organization internally, and do not expect to increase the current use of private contractors. In general, we conclude that Swedish green space managers look optimistically to the nearest future.     

The fate of urban green spaces: Assessment of the ownership,availability and conditions of parks in Accra,Ghana

Globally, the loss of green spaces threatens the sustainability of many cities. Among other factors, complex land ownership and management regime reportedly disrupt land administration and development; but with inconclusive empirical evidence on how this influences the conditions, availability and development of parks. This study, using Accra, thus employs document analysis, 16 key informant interviews and observation of majaor parks to: (i) explore the spatial location of parks and the relationship between their ownership and conditions, (ii) examine the factors which have influenced the decline in park size and conditions, and (iii) examine the institutional response to improving upon park planning, availability and conditions. The findings show distributive injustice of parks as most of them are located in high- and middle-income neighborhoods. There is also evidence of decreasing available park land per 1000 population between 1991 and 2022. Parks managed by private institutions were found to be in very good state compared to those managed by state institutions. The existing dualistic and complex land tenure regime have largely led to the decline in park availability and conditions. Other reported factors were rapid urbanization, land litigation, low priority to park development and planning, laxity in the enforcement of regulations, and political interference. The study makes recommendations to improve upon existing practices and generally enhance park creation, availability and conditions.