Recreation and Therapy in Urban Forests—The Potential Use of Sensory Garden Solutions

Abstract

Urban forests are not only woodlands or groups of trees, but also individual trees, street trees, trees in parks, trees in derelict corners, and gardens. All of which are located in urban and peri-urban areas and diversify the landscape and provide a wide range of social benefits. Sensory gardens play a specific therapeutic and preventive role. Designing such gardens as a recreational infrastructure element can successfully enrich urban forests. Following the principles of universal design may provide enjoyment for all city-dwellers, with special attention given to the needs of individuals with disabilities. We studied 15 gardens and one sensory path located in various regions in Poland. The inventory was carried out on the basis of the features considered important in spatial orientation by blind and partially sighted people. The results showed that the solutions used were only partly adequate for the needs of selected users. We found neither tactile walking surface indicators (e.g., communication lines and terrain), spatial models, nor applications in mobile devices. However, these could be useful for all visitors. We confirmed that although problems with the use of forest tourist space are dependent on the type of disability, by implementing the idea of universal design for all elements of recreational infrastructure, forests may be accessible for all users.

Forest Therapy Trails: A Conceptual Framework and Scoping Review of Research

“…Survey research (n = 15, 5.6%) included both large-scale general population surveys [54] and targeted onsite intercept surveys of forest visitors engaged or interested in forest therapy experiences [55,56]. Research types used in less than 10 articles included expert assessments such as suitability analyses [57,58] and site inventories [59], image analysis of virtual landscape representations [60] and social media selfie posts [61], and epidemiological studies [62].…”

Sensory Garden for Occupational Therapy and Improving Quality of Life

“…Wajchman et al, [23] carried out an experiment in Poland; in this study they examined 15 gardens and a sensory path. From this study they concluded that gardens have therapeutic function that is based on the effect of plants on both the physical and mental well-being and the treatment might be passive or strong.…”

Sustainable Urban Forest Conservation: Assessing Public Attitudes towards Urban Forests in Nairobi City

“…Conservation strategies and successes reported in past studies highlight the importance of values attached to the subject to be protected (Arnberger & Eder, 2015;Cai et al, 2021;Endreny et al, 2017;Lamhamedi et al, 2021;Levandovska et al, 2020;Massawe et al, 2021;Wajchman-Świtalska et al, 2021) meaning, people protect what they value. The rank for conservation measures and efforts in this study can be attributed to the recognition of the benefits of urban forests outlined in the first theme above.…”