Benefits and well-being perceived by people visiting green spaces in periods of heat stress

Lafortezza, Raffaele; Carrus, Giuseppe; Sanesi, Giovanni; Davies, Celia

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2009.02.003

Cited by 421 publications

(207 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This corresponds with 68% of the respondents from the sites without gardens agreeing that a garden would provide an area for spiritual and social functions. Lafortezza et al [57] stated that green spaces can offer different psychological benefits during different seasons of the year. This was echoed by respondents who said that the presence of deciduous trees would remind the faithful that, like the leaves that wither away in winter, their life will also come to an end, but be 'reborn' in the spiritual afterlife, as deciduous trees re-sprout in the spring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Lacy¹,

Shackleton

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:The range and use of ecosystem services provided by urban sacred sites has hardly been considered in studies of urban ecology, sustainability and human wellbeing. This paper examines the perceived ecosystem services supplied by green spaces or gardens associated with places of religious worship and appreciated by worshippers in a mid-sized town in South Africa. A questionnaire with open, closed and Likert scale questions was administered at 30 places of worship (25 with gardens and five without). Respondents identified a wide diversity of ecosystem services provided by gardens, with social ones being more recognized than ecological, and economic services the least. Approximately two-thirds of respondents visited a sacred site garden weekly or more often. The majority of respondents (96%) felt that a garden was necessary because it added to their feelings of connection with God, or helped them relax and so be better able to concentrate, and 54% stated that a garden enhanced their overall spiritual experience. Regression analysis revealed that aesthetic appreciation of a garden was significantly related to woody plant species richness, number and basal area in the garden. On the other hand, spiritual experience was positively related to woody plant basal area, but not species richness nor tree number. Neither size of the garden, nor number of years the respondents had been vising a particular sacred site had any influence on the rated spiritual or aesthetic experiences. These results reveal the widely appreciated ecosystem services provided by urban sacred spaces and their centrality in enhancing spiritual satisfaction for some.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Lacy¹,

Shackleton

2017

Sustainability

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“…Open spaces provide a safe environment for wild plants and animals, help reduce levels of atmospheric and water-borne pollution, and last but not least, can play a decisive role in regulating the urban climate (Haase, 2001). A large number of case studies and scientific investigations have shown that one crucial ecosystem service of urban vegetation is its regulatory effect on the urban (miro-)climate (Bowler et al, 2010;Endlicher et al, 2008;Gill et al, 2007Gill et al, , 2009Lafortezza et al, 2009;Lehmann et al 2014, Nohl 1993Oke et al 1989;Wilmers, 1990;Alexandri & Jones, 2008). The type, size, and spatial distribution of public green spaces and water bodies are therefore key factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multifactorial GIS-Based Analytical Method to Determine the Quality of Urban Green Space and Water Bodies

Deilmann¹,

Lehmann²,

Behnisch³

et al. 2015

Urbani izziv

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The type, size, and spatial distribution of public green spaces and water bodies are key factors for the microclimatic quality of urban areas, particularly within densely built-up districts, where they influence the quality of life. The analytical method presented in this paper looks at entire cities in a GIS-based approach that identifies potential critical areas of the city (with regard to heat stress or the accessability of green spaces) and quantifies their size and location in relation to green space and water bodies. The advantage of this method is that analysing the urban environment can be largely automated by the use of available geo base data. This requires the application of algorithms from the field of landscape ecology to the urban environment. The method is based on multifactorial evaluation. Comparisons between cities are made possible by extremum normalisation. Densely built-up areas as well as all green spaces and water bodies within settlements are quantified in the form of areal indicators. Thus the proximity of densely built-up areas to green space or water bodies is measured by the indicator "Euclidian distance." By correlating the resulting potential heat islands with population data from the 2011 National Census, it is possible to determine the likely number of residents affected. The method presented, which has been tested on seven cities in Germany, is part of a wide-ranging investigation into urban densities aimed at improving efficiency and environmental quality.

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“…Le problematiche di salute connesse alle sempre più frequenti ondate di calore (periodi di prolungato stress termico) rendono indispensabile la predisposi zione di interventi e azioni mitigatrici specie in am bito urbano e periurbano (Lafortezza et al 2009). A questo riguardo, l'incremento della vegetazione ar borea e degli spazi verdi urbani rappresenta un'azio ne di importanza strategica per mitigare l'incidenza di variabili climatiche, quali: temperatura dell'aria, umidità, radiazione solare, velocità del vento, ecc.…”

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“…Gli spazi verdi urbani, inoltre, influiscono positivamente sulla salute dei cit tadini e sul loro benessere fisico, psicologico e socia le attraverso la riduzione di fenomeni di stress, la sti molazione all'esercizio fisico e al contatto sociale (Kaplan 1995, Whitford et al 2001, Gill et al 2004, Health Council of Netherlands / RMNO 2004, Pretty et al 2005, Lafortezza et al 2009). Le aree verdi rappresen tano, inoltre, un importante serbatoio di CO 2 (sink di carbonio), ritenuta il principale gas clima-alterante (Akbari 2002, Jo 2002, Nowak & Crane 2002.…”

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“…Le aree verdi rappresen tano, inoltre, un importante serbatoio di CO 2 (sink di carbonio), ritenuta il principale gas clima-alterante (Akbari 2002, Jo 2002, Nowak & Crane 2002. Au mentare gli spazi verdi in ambito urbano significa pertanto ridurre gli effetti negativi delle alte tempe rature, e dei cambiamenti climatici in generale, sulla salute e il benessere dei cittadini (Rosenfeld et al 1997, Whitford et al 2001, Lafortezza et al 2009). …”

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Benefits and well-being perceived by green spaces users during heat waves

Dentamaro¹,

Lafortezza²,

Colangelo³

et al. 2010

Forest@

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Benefits and well-being perceived by green spaces users during heat waves. In urban environments, green spaces have proven to act as ameliorating factors of some climatic features related to heat stress, reducing their effects and providing comfortable outdoor settings for people. In addition, green spaces have demon strated greater capacity, compared with built-up areas, for promoting human health and well-being. In this paper, we present results of a study conducted in Italy with the general goal to contribute to the theoretical and empirical rationale for linking green spaces with well-being in urban environments. Specifically, the stu dy focused on the physical and psychological benefits and the general well-being associated with the use of green spaces on people when heat stress episodes are more likely to occur. A questionnaire was set up and administered to users of selected green spaces in Italy (metropolitan area of Milan and Bari -n=400). Results indicate that longer and frequent visits of green spaces generate significant improvements of the perceived benefits and well-being among users. These results are consistent with the idea that the use of green spaces could alleviate the perception of thermal discomfort during periods of heat stress.

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Benefits and well-being perceived by people visiting green spaces in periods of heat stress

Cited by 421 publications

References 36 publications

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

A Multifactorial GIS-Based Analytical Method to Determine the Quality of Urban Green Space and Water Bodies

Benefits and well-being perceived by green spaces users during heat waves

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