The Impact of Green Spaces on Perceptions of Urban Environments
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Kyle Nosseir
College:
College of Liberal Arts
Major:
Psychology
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Verneda Hamm-Baugh
Abstract:
Public, open green spaces are key features of the environment that many urban settings lack. As a result, many cities are starting to prioritize projects reincorporating natural landscapes back into highly developed cityscapes. To justify new construction projects with high costs, in-depth research has been completed to examine the benefits of these new neighborhood additions. The addition of green spaces increases the sense of community, strengthens physical health, and improves mental health. As urban environments continue to expand, access to nature is continually decreasing. By surrounding oneself with nature, a sense of community, physical health, and mental health is improved. The present study was designed to identify how the perception of urban environments is influenced in locations that are absent of green spaces, as compared to those that have them. 72 participants responded to a survey assessing perceptions of environments with or without green spaces, ranking their sense of safety, cleanliness, quality of life, sense of community, and economic status. The findings suggest that communities with green spaces have more positive perceptions across all indicators than those that do not. As expected, the presence of green spaces increases positive perceptions of a sense of safety, cleanliness, quality of life, sense of community, and economic status. This suggests that communities that lack any of these characteristics can add green spaces to their outdoor environments to improve positive attitudes.