Animals in urban green spaces in relation to mental restorative quality |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Systems Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6-Suchdol, Czech Republic;2. Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, Kaplanova 1931/1, 148 00 Prague 11-Chodov, Czech Republic;1. Interdisciplinary Program of Landscape Architecture, Graduate School, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea;2. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea;1. Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan;2. Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei 112, Taiwan;3. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan;4. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States;1. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia;2. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;3. Movement and Nutrition for Health and Performance Research Group, Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium |
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| Abstract: | Despite the important roles that animals play in ecosystems, their functions in urban green spaces are often overlooked. To fill this gap, this study explored the effects of four animal species on the mental restorative quality of urban green spaces by comparing observers’ response to pictures with and without animals. The results indicated that swans, deer, and pigeons which were unthreatening to humans could significantly improve mental restoration of observers, and comparatively, swans had the strongest effect. Conversely, unleashed dogs were a potential threat to humans, and decreased the mental restorative quality of urban green spaces. The mechanism of animals’ effects on mental restoration and the differential effects of four animal species were discussed. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study addressing the mental health impacts of animals in landscapes, and the results suggest that “animal-inclusive landscape design” has a positive impact on urban green spaces. |
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| Keywords: | Animal Urban green space Restorative environment Animal-inclusive design |
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