HUMAN WELLBEING and ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Psychological Ecosystem Services from Green Space: Human Behaviour + Emotion
A wealth of literature across multiple disciplines analyses and discusses the influences of the landscape and its greenspaces and their associated benefits to humans such as air quality, water infiltration and carbon offset, among others. Research encompassing social benefits such as quality of life, wellbeing, and human welfare, particularly beyond public health spheres, is limited, especially as related to spatial planning and design decisions.
However there is a lack of clarity as to the exact wellbeing benefits that green spaces provide. And what are the ways the quantity, quality and distribution of green spaces impacts human health and wellbeing? Answering these questions is critical in the face of continued urbanisation and human development.
Contact with the natural environment such as green space is a fundamental component of human wellbeing
@ IC
The landscape fragmentation unique to peri-urban regions directly and indirectly affects both ecological systems (i.e. ecosystems) and human functioning. The influences of such fragmentation upon the ecosystem and associated effects to humans are recognised primarily through negative impacts such as reduced air and water quality, reduced biodiversity, and decreased ecosystem functioning. However, there are other significant impacts to human wellbeing such as the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of humans.
GIPL has developed a unique, transactional-based framework to analyse the individual-environment relationship which assesses their interrelated factors influencing human behaviour. Utilising cutting-edge technologies such as PPGIS, Maptionnaire, EEG biosensing and others to assess the objective measures of human interaction benefits with greenspace, GIPL is able to support evidence based solutions to promote wellbeing.
GREENSPACES AND GREEN STRUCTURES SUCH AS FORESTS, WOODLANDS, PARKS, OPEN SPACES, AGRICULTURAL LANDS, TRAILS, PLAZAS, GARDENS, PLAYGROUNDS, WETLANDS, STREET TREES AND OTHERS ARE CRUCIAL IN SUPPORTING BOTH ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN HEALTH IN URBANISING LANDSCAPES.
@ IC
Neuro-urbanism & Neuro-landscape
@ University of Edinburgh
Perhaps not surprising, the wellbeing benefits of greenspaces are interrelated, with each supporting one another and interacting to facilitate benefits, this is referred to as the synergestic effect of interacting with greenspaces.