Perceived biodiversity, sound, naturalness and safety enhance the restorative quality and wellbeing benefits of green and blue space in a neotropical city

Wilding cities for biodiversity and people: a transdisciplinary framework

Accelerating urbanisation and associated lifestyle changes result in loss of biodiversity and diminished wellbeing of people through fewer direct interactions and experiences with nature. In this review, we propose the notion of urban wilding (the promotion of autonomous ecological processes that are independent of historical land-use conditions, with minimal direct human maintenance and planting interventions) and investigate its propensity to improve biodiversity and people-nature connections in cities. Through a large interdisciplinary synthesis, we explore the ecological mechanisms through which urban wilding can promote biodiversity in cities, investigate the attitudes and relations of city dwellers towards urban wild spaces, and discuss the integration of urban wilding into the fabric of cities and its governance. We show that favouring assembly spontaneity by reducing planting interventions, and functional spontaneity by limiting maintenance practices, can promote plant diversity and provide ecological resources for numerous organisms at habitat and city scales. These processes could reverse biotic homogenisation, but further studies are needed to understand the effects of wilding on invasive species and their consequences. From a socio-ecological perspective, the attitudes of city dwellers towards spontaneous vegetation are modulated by successional stages, with grassland and woodland stages preferred, but dense shrubby vegetation stages disliked. Wild spaces can diversify physical interactions with nature, and enrich multi-sensory, affective and cognitive experiences of nature in cities. However, some aspects of wild spaces can cause anxiety, feeling unsafe, and the perception of abandonment. These negative attitudes could be mitigated by subtle design and maintenance interventions. While nature has long been thought of as ornamental and instrumental in cities, urban wilding could help to develop relational and intrinsic values of nature in the fabric of cities. Wildness and its singular aesthetics should be combined with cultural norms, resident uses and urban functions to plan and design urban spatial configurations promoting human-non-human cohabitation. For urban wilding to be socially just and adapted to the needs of residents, its implementation should be backed by inclusive governance opening up discussion forums to residents and urban workers. Scientists can support these changes by collaborating with urban actors to design and experiment with new wild spaces promoting biodiversity and wellbeing of people in cities.

Comparing the risks of environmental carcinogenic chemicals in Japan using the loss of happy life expectancy indicator

In this study, we aimed to use the loss of happy life expectancy (LHpLE), an indicator that enables risk assessment considering wellbeing, to compare the risks of environmental carcinogenic chemicals in Japan. First, we surveyed Japanese people to determine their emotional happiness by age and sex and evaluated whether cancer incidence reduced emotional happiness. Questionnaires were administered to a general population panel and a panel of patients with cancer in 2022, recruiting a predetermined number of responses of 5000 and 850, respectively. Second, using the survey data, LHpLE was calculated for radon, arsenic, and fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm; PM2.5) and compared to psychological distress, considering increased mortality and decreased emotional happiness due to these risks. We discovered no significant decrease in emotional happiness due to cancer incidence and no significant associations between emotional happiness and cancer type, history, or stage. LHpLE was calculated to be 6.4 × 10-3 years for radon, 2.6 × 10-3 years for arsenic, 1.1 × 10-2 years (2012 exposure) and 8.6 × 10-4 years (2020 exposure) for PM2.5, and 9.7 × 10-1 years for psychological distress. The fraction of losses caused by these carcinogenic chemicals to HpLE exceeded 10-5, suggesting that risk reduction for these chemicals is important in environmental policies. The LHpLE indicator allows for comparing different types of risks, such as environmental chemicals and psychological distress. This is the first study to compare chemical risks using the LHpLE indicator.

Integrating subjective feelings into the evaluation of ecological restoration outcomes of urban green space: Indicator framework from bibliometrics analysis and evidence synthesis

Despite much progress has been made in the evaluation of ecological restoration outcomes, there is still a lack of a suitable framework for evaluating the ecological restoration outcomes of urban green space. In view of this, this study systematically analyzed the characteristics and differences between the evaluation index systems of ecological restoration outcome and urban green space quality evaluation, and then discussed the relationship between objective elements of landscape and people's subjective feelings. On this basis, an ecological restoration outcome evaluation framework was developed for urban green space considering people's subjective feelings. It was found that the existing studies of ecological restoration outcome evaluation mainly focused on the change of ecological components and structure, while urban green space environmental quality evaluation on the cultural services. Common ecological components and structure and people's subjective feelings were not all synergy or trade-off relations, in fact, there were still cases of trade-off and synergy relations co-existing. Therefore, a framework was constructed for evaluating the ecological restoration outcome of urban green space, including ecological components and structure, ecological services, social services, and people's subjective feelings.

Impact of "blue-green diet" on human health and wellbeing: A systematic review of potential determinants in shaping the effectiveness of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) in urban settings

Discourses concerning the potential health benefits of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) have gained momentum, highlighting its positive influence on human health and wellbeing. While studies have explored the concept of "Nature Pyramid" and the role of exposure to natural environments in promoting health, the role of water elements remains underexplored. Rooted in this concept, this study proposed a notion of "blue-green diet" as a framework to understand the intricate mechanisms and determinants of optimal blue-green exposure. Understanding the relationship between these determinants and their health-related impacts can facilitate the enhancement of BGI design, leading to greater effectiveness in promoting health and wellbeing and supporting sustainable urban development strategies. To enhance the comprehension of the "blue-green diet", this study conducted a systematic literature review to grasp the underlying mechanisms behind its beneficial effects, focusing on two key determinants of "blue-green diet", which are also derived from the concept of the "Nature Pyramid": (1) the type of BGI and (2) the mode of interaction with and within BGIs. Under the search of BGI's overall health impacts, this study selected 54 journal publications concerning BGI's type and interaction mode from Web of Science and Scopus since 2010. The review revealed significant disparities in the health benefits provided by different types of BGI (in terms of artificial extent and scale) and between active and passive interaction modes. It examines how to balance natural and artificial elements for enhancing the benefits of BGI and discusses the attributes of BGI that encourage diverse and meaningful interaction patterns. These efforts collectively aim to optimize BGI design and planning, increase its capacity to promote health, and extend its benefits to a wider range of individuals. Future research should encompass a broader spectrum of determinants, such as diverse BGI settings, visit frequency and duration, and user's social-cultural backgrounds.

Interrelationships and Trade-Offs between Urban Natural Space Use and Biodiversity

Urban natural spaces provide important ecosystem services and a wide range of health- and well-being-related benefits for their visitors. They are also essential spaces for biodiversity protection and promotion in a world of rising urbanisation rates and worsening impacts of climate change. However, these spaces are often underutilised by urban residents. When they are utilised, this usage often leads to some level of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Hence, understanding how to promote both use and biodiversity levels in urban natural spaces is critical. While various reports have studied the broad factors associated with urban natural space use, the specific relationship between biodiversity and use remains to be explored. This paper uses a Systems Thinking approach to unpack the complex relationship between urban natural space use and biodiversity and to help guide the design and management of these spaces in a way that promotes both use and biodiversity. With data collected from a systematic literature review, a causal loop diagram (CLD) was constructed and analysed. The CLD construction and analysis highlighted various key factors that play an important role in relating urban natural space use and biodiversity. Among these is the role of individual and social perceptions and values in determining how biodiversity levels will affect usage, and vice versa. The results were applied to a case study: the Thamesmead regeneration project undertaken by the social housing association Peabody. We made recommendations regarding Peabody's biodiversity and green infrastructure plans for Thamesmead, presenting new design and maintenance techniques and assessing various existing techniques mentioned in the documents. Through the CLD analysis, we uncovered various unintended consequences from common design and maintenance techniques and discuss these trade-offs and relationships.

A systematic review of audit tools for evaluating the quality of green spaces in mental health research

Research showing the relationship between exposure to green space and health has yielded conflicting results, possibly due to the oversight of green space quality in quantitative studies. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework (registered under Prospero ID CRD42023279720), focused on audit tools for green space quality in mental health research. From 4028 studies, 13 were reviewed, with 77 % linking better mental health outcomes to higher green space quality. Eight tools, especially Public Open Space and Dillen et al. tools demonstrated strong correlations with mental health. Certain green space qualities like grass, pathways, and water elements showed positive health associations. Future research should aim for standardized quality metrics and robust methodologies to support causal inferences and efficient assessments.

Urban park qualities driving visitors mental well-being and wildlife conservation in a Neotropical megacity

Green infrastructure has been widely recognized for the benefits to human health and biodiversity conservation. However, knowledge of the qualities and requirements of such spaces and structures for the effective delivery of the range of ecosystem services expected is still limited, as well as the identification of trade-offs between services. In this study, we apply the One Health approach in the context of green spaces to investigate how urban park characteristics affect human mental health and wildlife support outcomes and identify synergies and trade-offs between these dimensions. Here we show that perceived restorativeness of park users varies significantly across sites and is mainly affected by safety and naturalness perceptions. In turn, these perceptions are driven by objective indicators of quality, such as maintenance of facilities and vegetation structure, and subjective estimations of biodiversity levels. The presence of water bodies benefited both mental health and wildlife. However, high tree canopy coverage provided greater restoration potential whereas a certain level of habitat heterogeneity was important to support a wider range of bird species requirements. To reconcile human and wildlife needs in green spaces, cities should strategically implement a heterogeneous green infrastructure network that considers trade-offs and maximizes synergies between these dimensions.

Does increasing biodiversity in an urban woodland setting promote positive emotional responses in humans? A stress recovery experiment using 360-degree videos of an urban woodland

Green spaces can support human stress reduction and foster positive emotional well-being. Previous research has suggested that biodiversity (i.e. the variety of species of plants and animals in a given location) can enhance recovery from stress even further. However, there is limited experimental evidence testing this hypothesis and results, to date, have been mixed. This study aimed to provide further understanding of the role of biodiversity (actual or perceived) on human well-being by experimentally manipulating species richness and stress. Participants (372 in total) took part in an online experiment, where they received an episode of mild stress before watching a 360-degree video to recover. The video showed the same location, an urban woodland, but at one of four artificially manipulated levels of biodiversity. The participants reported their Positive and Negative Affect before and after the stress induction and after watching the video, providing a measure of their stress and well-being throughout the experiment. Participants also reported their perceptions of biodiversity (i.e. how diverse they thought the location was) and elaborated on their responses with brief comments. Repeated Measure Analysis of Variance revealed that exposure to all levels of biodiversity reduced the participants' Negative Affect, but with no significant difference between the conditions. However, the analysis showed higher Positive Affect in those participants who perceived the environment as more biodiverse. Comments from participants indicated that those who reported noticing flowers and trees in the environment also showed higher Positive Affect. This suggests that perceiving biodiversity promotes more positive emotions, but critically one needs to actually notice (engage with) the components of biodiversity to elicit these extra benefits.

The effect of exposure to natural sounds on stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The main aim of this review is to compare whether natural sounds or a quiet environment is more beneficial for alleviating stress. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference between exposure to natural sounds and a quiet environment in terms of their effect on heart rate (p = 0.006), blood pressure (p = 0.001), and respiratory rate (p = 0.032). However, no significant difference was found between exposure to natural sounds and a quiet environment in terms of their effect on MAP (p = 0.407), perceived stress, and SPO2 (p = 0.251). Although the evidence was slightly inconsistent, overall, natural sounds were found more beneficial for stress reduction than quiet environments.

How do weather conditions and environmental characteristics influence aesthetic preferences of freshwater environments?

Freshwater (inland) blue space environments provide a range of public health benefits to visitors. However, health related exposure outcomes are dynamic and can vary depending on several factors, including the environmental characteristics of freshwater environments and their surroundings. Developing and managing inland blue spaces to promote health and wellbeing therefore requires an understanding of whether specific freshwater attributes, and prevailing weather conditions, enhance or devalue landscape aesthetics. The aim of this study was to utilise a mixed-methods research approach to investigate aesthetic preferences of inland blue spaces. A three-phase data collection method was adopted involving (i) analysis of a national-scale landscape image dataset; in combination with (ii) a national-scale online survey; and (iii) a series of in-person focus groups. We found environmental characteristics associated with the waterbody itself, as well as the characteristics of the nearby green space, to have a significant impact on the overall aesthetic appeal of inland blue spaces. Strong preference was demonstrated for inland blue spaces perceived to be of a high environmental quality and which have a natural, rather than human-modified, appearance. The findings highlight the need to conserve the quality of both the waterbody and waterside environment to encourage frequent recreational use and maintain the beneficial public health outcomes associated with inland blue spaces.

COVID-19 shutdown revealed higher acoustic diversity and vocal activity of flagship birds in old-growth than in production forests

The COVID-19 shutdown has caused a quasi-experimental situation for ecologists in Spring 2020, providing an unprecedented release in acoustic space for avian soundscapes due to the lowest technophony levels experienced for decades. We conducted large-scale passive acoustic monitoring in 68 forest stands during and after the shutdown to compare their acoustic diversity under different management regimes. We designed a before-after sampling scheme of 18 paired stands to evaluate the short-term effect of shutdown on diel and nocturnal acoustic diversity of forest soundscapes. We assessed whether old-growth preserves hosted higher acoustic diversity and vocal activity of flagship specialist birds than production stands during the shutdown, and whether the effect of management was mediated by landscape fragmentation and distance to roads. We derived acoustic richness and vocal activity of flagship specialist birds by systematically performing 15-min long aural listening to identify species vocalizations from all recorded stands. The end of the COVID-19 shutdown led to a rapid decrease in diel and nocturnal biophony and acoustic diversity. During the shutdown, we found significantly higher biophony and acoustic diversity in old-growth preserves than in production stands. Bird acoustic richness and vocalizations of the two most frequent flagship specialists, Dendrocoptes medius and Phylloscopus sibilatrix, were also both higher in old-growth stands. Interestingly, this positive effect of old-growth stands on forest soundscapes suggested that they could potentially attenuate traffic noise, because the distance to roads decreased acoustic diversity and biophony only outside old-growth preserves. Similarly, flagship bird richness increased with old-growth cover in the surrounding landscape while edge density had a negative effect on both acoustic diversity and flagship birds. We suggest that enhancing the old-growth preserve network implemented across French public forests would provide a connected frame of acoustic sanctuaries mitigating the ever-increasing effect of technophony on the acoustic diversity of temperate forest soundscapes.

A Canonical Correlation Analysis Study on the Association Between Neighborhood Green Space and Residents' Mental Health

Based on survey data conducted in Guangzhou in 2021, this study employs canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood green space, residents' green space use behavior, and their mental health. The results show that compared with the objectively measured accessibility, residents' subjective perceived accessibility of neighborhood green space plays a greater role in promoting green space use behavior and mental health. Meanwhile, the plant diversity, safety, and the number of recreational facilities in a green space can promote the frequency of green space use, improve residents' mental health status and reduce their perceived stress. Although perceived accessibility is more related to green space use behavior than green space quality indicators, green space safety and recreational facilities have many more benefits on mental health than perceived accessibility. In addition, residents' green space use behavior, especially green space visit frequency, can promote mental health and reduce perceived stress.

Psychological restoration depends on curiosity, motivation, and species richness during a guided bird walk in a suburban blue space

Urban and suburban green and blue spaces are important places for human recreation, and the impact of biodiversity on psychological and recalled restoration has received much attention. This study addresses the relationship between bird species richness and restoration in a controlled field experiment (guided bird walk) applying a battery of individual trait scales (need for cognition, personality) as predictors of restoration. We found a significant positive relationship between the number of bird species present and recalled restoration. Personality, bird species knowledge, bird related interest as test measures, demographics and birding specialization as self-report had no influence on psychological restoration. However, need for cognition correlated positively with psychological restoration, thus providing a new predictive variable. All subscales of the intrinsic motivation scale (enjoyment, perceived competence, perceived choice, pressure/tension) were positively correlated with restoration except of pressure/tension. Learning emotions like interest and well-being were positively related to restoration, while boredom was negatively related. Therefore, we suggest research to examine the restorative function of more cognitive-oriented programs because people may also need cognition when it comes to restoration. We also suggest a broader focus on education and cognitive aspects when it comes to linking biodiversity and health within the framework of ecosystem services.

How Does the Experience of Forest Recreation Spaces in Different Seasons Affect the Physical and Mental Recovery of Users?

BACKGROUND

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the recovery effect of the forest environment on physical and mental health. Therefore, providing users with a high-quality forest landscape space is a very important research topic for forest landscape designers and forest resource managers.

MAIN PURPOSE

From the perspective of different seasons, this study explores the differences in landscape perceptions and physical and mental recovery of users when they experience different forest recreation spaces and the interactions between them.

METHODS

First, this study used virtual reality video experience and questionnaires for participants. Then, the paired-samples t test, one-way ANOVA and the independent-samples t test were used for statistical analysis. Finally, we also used structural equation models to analyze the relationship between landscape perception and recovery.

MAIN RESULTS

(1) The restoration effect and perception of forest recreation spaces on people are influenced by space types and seasonal factors. (2) People's restoration from forest environments is a gradual process from spatial cognition to emotional response. (3) The perception of the natural attributes and form of the recreation space plays a key role in the restorative effect of the environment to people, while the natural form is more important in spring than autumn. Based on the above conclusions, we suggest that the characteristic factors of the landscape environment and their different restoration effects for users in different dimensions should be considered when planning forest recreation space.

A Study on the Soundscape of Underground Commercial Space in Lu'an City and Hefei City, China

Soundscape is an important part and one of the main factors of the underground space environment. Field surveys were conducted to evaluate the soundscape of underground commercial spaces and to compare it with the soundscape of the above-ground commercial spaces between two cities (Lu'an City and Hefei City) in China, consequently presenting the construction strategy of the soundscape of underground commercial spaces in urban areas. The results showed that the sound in the shopping center, which people found comfortable, was at the lower to intermediate level. The main sounds that people perceived as "general" sounds were environmental sounds such as music, the humming of the air conditioning, people talking, walking, and the hawking of the stores. Nevertheless, "very comfortable" sounds were background music and the sound of live performances, which were indicated in the majority of people's opinions on evaluating a comfortable feeling, thus reflecting the impact of the sound of mall music on people's cognitive psychology. Therefore, it is necessary to control the volume of environmental noise at a certain level so that people's health is not adversely affected. It also helps shoppers to feel more comfortable psychologically and physiologically.

Impacts of Urban Blue-Green Space on Residents' Health: A Bibliometric Review

Urban blue-green space (UBGS), as an important component of the urban environment, is found to closely relate to human health. An extensive understanding of the effects of UBGS on human health is necessary for urban planning and intervention schemes towards healthy city development. However, a comprehensive review and discussion of relevant studies using bibliometric methods is still lacking. This paper adopted the bibliometric method and knowledge graph visualization technology to analyze the research on the impact of UBGS on residents' health, including the number of published papers, international influence, and network characteristics of keyword hotspots. The key findings include: (1) The number of articles published between 2001 and 2021 shows an increasing trend. Among the articles collected from WoS and CNKI, 38.74% and 32.65% of the articles focus on physical health, 38.32% and 30.61% on mental health, and 17.06% and 30.61% on public health, respectively. (2) From the analysis of international partnerships, countries with high levels of economic development and urbanization have closer cooperation than other countries. (3) UBGS has proven positive effects on residents' physical, mental, and public health. However, the mediating effects of UBGS on health and the differences in the health effects of UBGS on different ages and social classes are less studied. Therefore, this study proposes several future research directions. First, the mediating effect of UBGS on health impacts should be further examined. Furthermore, the interactive effects of residents' behaviors and the UBGS environment should be emphasized. Moreover, multidisciplinary integration should be strengthened. The coupling mechanism between human behavior and the environment should also be studied in depth with the help of social perception big data, wearable devices, and human-computer interactive simulation. Finally, this study calls for developing health risk monitoring and early warning systems, and integrating health impact assessment into urban planning, so as to improve residents' health and urban sustainability.

Are Lay People Able to Estimate Breeding Bird Diversity?

Studies about biodiversity and well-being used different approaches to assess biodiversity, e.g., scientific counts and censuses or perceived biodiversity estimated by the respondents. Here, we assessed whether laypeople could estimate the breeding bird diversity or species richness at specific places. For comparison, we carried out bird censuses with standard methods of professional ornithologists and used citizen science data from the internet platform Ornitho (Germany). Lay people from the public (1184 respondents) were surveyed between May and July 2022 at 40 different places in southwest Germany between Rottenburg/Tübingen and Stuttgart following the catchment of the river Neckar (30 people surveyed per place). People were asked to estimate the bird species richness/diversity at this current place. Here, we show that the data from the citizen science platform does not correlate with the professional census counts nor with the perceived species richness of laypeople. Laypeople have a generally good assessment of the bird species richness, correlating with the data of professionals (r = 0.325, p = 0.041). On average, the number of species assessed by laypeople lies in between the values of the professional morning and afternoon census. People were most often surveyed in the afternoon; therefore, their assessment must be done on other factors than actual birds present. This result is valuable for future studies on the connection between biodiversity and well-being.

Tourism as a Tool in Nature-Based Mental Health: Progress and Prospects Post-Pandemic

The healthcare sector recognises the role of nature in mental health. The tourism sector is equipped to take people to national parks. The conservation sector gains support from visitors. Theoretical frameworks for mental health benefits from nature tourism include: tourism destinations and activities; tourist personalities and life histories; sensory and emotional components of tourist experiences; and intensity and duration of memories. Mental health deteriorated worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery of global economic productivity requires immediate, accessible, affordable mental health measures at national scales, and nature-based approaches provide the best option. Different countries have adopted a variety of public, private, or voluntary mechanisms. Some focus on design of activities, others on provision of facilities. Costs and implementation depend on key research questions: marginal benefits of nature tour guides or psychologists compared to self-guided nature experiences; comparisons between repeated brief visits and one-off nature holidays; effects of biodiversity, flagship species, and scenic or wilderness quality; and differences between individuals, depending on personalities, life histories, and mental health status and symptoms.

Does Bird Diversity Affect Public Mental Health in Urban Mountain Parks?-A Case Study in Fuzhou City, China

Intensified urbanization has caused a linear decline in the quality of urban biodiversity and indirectly harms our current human settlement environment. Urban mountain parks provide a refuge for the animals and plants and play a vital role in satisfying residents’ lives. At present, few studies are focusing on the impact of biodiversity on human mental health benefits of urban mountain parks in high-density construction areas along the coast of the Eastern Hemisphere. Here, we examined the relationship between bird abundance, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and Richness and momentary mental health (positive, negative, and anxiety) in urban mountain parks. The timed species counts method was used to conduct three surveys of birds in urban mountain parks, and linear regression was performed on the relationship between bird diversity and mental health among sites. According to the regression model results, we found no significant correlation in any disturbance levels. As urban mountain parks are an essential part of the human settlement environment, how to improve the biodiversity and mental health of urban mountain parks is one of the focuses of research on biodiversity well-being in the future. Urban planning authorities and public mental health researchers should pay attention to the importance of biodiversity in urban development and consider how to realize the beautiful vision of the harmonious coexistence of humans, animals, plants, and the environment in which we live.

Characteristics of Urban Parks in Chengdu and Their Relation to Public Behaviour and Preferences

Urban parks can offer a variety of ecosystem services such as beautifying the landscape, ecological regulation, leisure and recreation, and maintaining biodiversity. Understanding how urban parks affect people’s lives can help guide the construction and planning of parks in a direction that is more beneficial to the public. Therefore, it is worth studying the extent to which different urban parks with different characteristics affect public behaviour and preferences. This paper takes five typical urban parks in Chengdu and analyses the relationship between characteristics of the park ecosystem and public behaviour and preferences. The characteristics include the park scale, blue-green space ratio, plant diversity, and degree of re-wilding. Visit frequency, stay time, and park preference characterise public behaviour and preferences. The results show: (1) There are obvious differences in the ecosystem characteristics of the five parks: Qinglong Lake Wetland Park is the largest; the proportion of blue-green space in Jiangjiayiyuan Garden is the highest; the degree of re-wilding in Bailuwan Wetland Park is the highest; the proportion of green space and plant diversity in Guixi Ecological Park is the highest; and the proportion of blue space in Jincheng Lake Wetland Park is the highest. (2) There are differences in public behaviour and preferences for different parks. Tourists visit Qinglong Lake Wetland Park the most in spring and autumn and they choose Guixi Ecological Park instead in summer and winter. The public stays longer in Qinglong Lake Wetland Park and shorter in Jincheng Lake Wetland Park. (3) The scale of urban parks, the proportion of blue-green space, and the degree of re-wilding, especially the proportion of blue space, have a positive impact on the public’s evaluation and promote public visits. The results of the study could help improve public awareness of the relationship between park characteristics and ecological services and well-being.

Connecting Biodiversity With Mental Health and Wellbeing — A Review of Methods and Disciplinary Perspectives

Biodiversity conservation and mental health and wellbeing are of increasing global concern, with growing relevance to planning and policy. A growing body of literature exploring the relationships between biodiversity and mental health and wellbeing—based on early research conducted largely from social science perspectives—suggests that particular qualities within natural environments confer particular benefits. Results so far have been inconclusive and inconsistent, contributing to an incohesive body of evidence. While past reviews have focused on reporting variations in results, the present study builds on early reviews by exploring variations from the perspective of author disciplines and the use of different guiding theories, and variables used to measure biodiversity, mental health and wellbeing. This aims to address a research gap in understanding whether research in this topic has become more interdisciplinary or has employed more consistent study designs, which were highlighted as priorities in past reviews, but the progress of which has not yet been explored in depth. We found that research connecting biodiversity and mental health and wellbeing has become only marginally more interdisciplinary in recent years, and there is still a large inconsistency in the use of guiding theories, variables and overall study designs. The variation in disciplinary perspectives and methods reflects a growing interest in this field and the variety of ways researchers are trying to understand and test the complex relationships between biodiversity and mental health and wellbeing. Our study shows that there are unique perspectives that different disciplines can contribute to this body of research and continuing to increase collaboration between disciplines with the use of consistent mixed methods approaches in future may contribute to a more cohesive body of evidence. We provide a framework to conceptualize recommendations for future research, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration at multiple scales, and importantly focusing on more specific, mechanistic studies to inform decision-making that provides co-benefits for biodiversity and mental health and wellbeing.

Beneficial Use Impairments, Degradation of Aesthetics, and Human Health: A Review

In environmental programs and blue/green space development, improving aesthetics is a common goal. There is broad interest in understanding the relationship between ecologically sound environments that people find aesthetically pleasing and human health. However, to date, few studies have adequately assessed this relationship, and no summaries or reviews of this line of research exist. Therefore, we undertook a systematic literature review to determine the state of science and identify critical needs to advance the field. Keywords identified from both aesthetics and loss of habitat literature were searched in PubMed and Web of Science databases. After full text screening, 19 studies were included in the review. Most of these studies examined some measure of greenspace/bluespace, primarily proximity. Only one study investigated the impacts of making space quality changes on a health metric. The studies identified for this review continue to support links between green space and various metrics of health, with additional evidence for blue space benefits on health. No studies to date adequately address questions surrounding the beneficial use impairment degradation of aesthetics and how improving either environmental quality (remediation) or ecological health (restoration) efforts have impacted the health of those communities.

Sensory and Emotional Components in Tourist Memories of Wildlife Encounters: Intense, Detailed, and Long-Lasting Recollections of Individual Incidents

To quantify the role of senses and emotions in creating memorable tourism experiences, we need measurement frameworks that match how memories are created. This study examines that process through directed-content qualitative analysis of tourist encounters with wildlife. Data are derived from: interviews with 20 experienced wildlife tourism experts in 12 countries; 3000 social media posts on tourism enterprise and wildlife encounter websites; and participant observations and records of 168 memorable encounters involving >100 wildlife species, >850 tourists, and ~10,000 h in total, ranging over five decades. Across all data sources, senses and emotions differed between tourist interests and personalities, wildlife species and behaviours, and encounter circumstances. All senses were reported, with the most frequent being sight, followed by sound and smell, and, rarely, touch or taste. Descriptions were fine-grained and complex. The emotions reported were awe, joy, wonder, delight, thrill, amazement, envy, aww (cute-emotion), surprise, elation, satisfaction, interest, boredom, disappointment, sadness, embarrassment, concern, pity, distress, disgust, anxiety, shock, alarm, fear, and panic. Some experiences generated powerful recalls persisting for decades. Short-term, intense, and finely detailed senses and emotions defined experiences, created memories, and determined satisfaction, wellbeing, and subsequent outcomes. More accurate methods are needed to measure and characterise senses, emotions, and memories in tourism experience.

Inclusive Design of Workspaces: Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Users

Accessible design within the built environment has often focused on mobility conditions and has recently widened to include mental health. Additionally, as one in seven are neurodivergent (including conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia), this highlights a growing need for designing for ‘non-visible’ conditions in addition to mobility. Emphasised by the growing disability pay gap and the disability perception gap, people with disabilities are still facing discrimination and physical barriers within the workplace. This research aimed to identify key ways of reducing physical barriers faced by people with a disability and thus encourage more comfortable and productive use of workspaces for all. Once the need for designing for a spectrum of users and inclusive workspace design was understood, a survey was then circulated to students and staff at a large university in the UK (working remotely from home), with the aim of understanding how people have adapted their home spaces and what barriers they continue to face. Quantitative and qualitative results were compared to the literature read with key issues emerging, such as separating work and rest from spaces in bedrooms. The survey findings and literature were evaluated, extracting key performance-based goals (e.g., productivity and focus within a study space) and prescriptive design features (e.g., lighting, furniture, and thermal comfort), whilst also considering the inclusivity of these features. The key conclusion establishes that, to achieve maximum benefit, it is important to work with the users to understand specific needs and identify creative and inclusive solutions.

Soundscape Assessment of Green and Blue Infrastructures

Green and blue infrastructures provide economic, environmental, and social benefits to urban life. Various areas that are passing through such infrastructures have implications for those benefits. For instance, urban, rural, agricultural, and industrial zones extend the services and disservices of green and blue infrastructures. Such extensions also have various implications on the environment and public health. Sound is one of those under-examined aspects of aggregated effects of green and blue infrastructures. This study aims to contribute to whether soundscape is affected by three pillars of urban, industrial, and rural areas among green and blue infrastructures. The study result shows no significant difference among those zones; however, urbanized areas include the highest sound levels. Industrial and rural zones show similar patterns. The study also identified that green infrastructure has more effects on the soundscape paradigm. The results also imply that green and blue infrastructures should be designated in harmony to produce a more sound-friendly environment considering the current major uses of the areas.

Not all types of nature have an equal effect on urban residents' well-being: A structural equation model approach

A growing amount of research shows a positive association between urban nature and urban residents' psychological and physical well-being and quality of life. With its focus on specific dimensions of well-being and reliance either on large-scale objective data sets or experimental and comparative designs, prior research does not explicitly address the relationships between the various types of urban nature as experienced by citizens and their overall well-being. The present research proposes a model for the potential influence of the perceptions of the type and characteristics of nature close to urban residences and citizens' well-being via their frequency of exposure to, and their activities in, nature. Using WHOQOL-26 as a measure of well-being and constructing or adapting measurements for the other variables, a questionnaire was designed and administered among a sample of 2500 French urban residents. Psychometric tests, structural equation modeling, and mediation analyses were conducted on the collected data. The results show that: (1) The perceived characteristics of nature near urban residences have both direct and indirect influences on the psychological, physical, environmental, and resources-related dimensions of citizens' well-being; (2) Less domesticated nature-forests, fields, and scrubland-contributes to psychological well-being by favoring light or calm activities in nature, and to physical well-being by supporting exposure to nature. Such wilder nature is also positively associated with the perceived quality of urban residences; (3) Small spots of nature, located close to one's residence-a balcony, a patio, or a roof garden-make a similar but smaller contribution to well-being; (4) Domesticated nature-city gardens and parks-contribute marginally to the physical and resources-related dimensions of well-being. These results complement past research on the perceived characteristics of nature by showing how nature, as experienced by urban citizens, refers to different vegetation spaces. They also invite urban planners and policymakers to acknowledge the positive association between "wilder" natural spaces and well-being.

Developing an Approach for Assessing Urban Blue-Green Spaces Towards Sustainable Urban Growth Through Retrospective Cyber Metrics Analysis of Operational Estimations Approaches

Urban blue-green spaces provide us abundant social, environmental, and economic benefits, but the disparities often exist in their distribution and accessibility. Traditionally urban blue-green spaces are a consolidation of “blue-green infrastructure” within urban areas. Several urban features like parks, forests, gardens, visible water, such as parks, rivers, canals, reservoirs, ponds, lakes, fountains, etc. are categorized or considered under the blue-green spaces and these are very much crucial for various urban ecosystem services. These play a significant role for all stakeholders of the urban community. Thus, everyone must ensure the equitable number of blue-green spaces for all. Recently, several rules and regulations towards the safeguarding of urban blue-green spaces have been outlined. The work presents a methodological framework to develop an approach towards sustainable urban growth with the help of urban blue-green spaces assessments. The current work has attempted to examine the linkage between issues of the urban blue-green spaces for restoring the required infrastructures. It can be utilised for all sustainable urban development for urban planning and design projects to play a pivotal role. The work emphasizes more to develop a methodological framework to analyze the urban blue-green spaces for augmentation with a theoretical framework. It is expected that the advancement of a problem cum objectives-driven approach will help to design an impact-driven approach for planned and concrete action.

Phytoremediation by ornamental plants: a beautiful and ecological alternative

Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and economical technology in which plants are used for the removal of contaminants presents in the urban and rural environment. One of the challenges of the technique is the proper destination of the biomass of plants. In this context, the use of ornamental plants in areas under contamination treatment improves landscape, serving as a tourist option and source of income with high added value. In addition to their high stress tolerance, rapid growth, high biomass production, and good root development, ornamental species are not intended for animal and human food consumption, avoiding the introduction of contaminants into the food web in addition to improving the environments with aesthetic value. Furthermore, ornamental plants provide multiple ecosystem services, and promote human well-being, while contributing to the conservation of biodiversity. In this review, we summarized the main uses of ornamental plants in phytoremediation of contaminated soil, air, and water. We discuss the potential use of ornamental plants in constructed buffer strips aiming to mitigate the contamination of agricultural lands occurring in the vicinity of sources of contaminants. Moreover, we underlie the ecological and health benefits of the use of ornamental plants in urban and rural landscape projects. This study is expected to draw attention to a promising decontamination technology combined with the beautification of urban and rural areas as well as a possible alternative source of income and diversification in horticultural production.

Waterscapes for Promoting Mental Health in the General Population

The WHO estimates that, with the development of urbanization, 25% of the population is suffering from psychological and mental distress. Preliminary evidence has suggested that aquatic environments and riparian areas, i.e., waterscapes, can benefit psychological and mental wellbeing. The aim of this study was to identify the processes of waterscape psychological and mental health promotion through aliterature review. We propose a design framework of waterscapes for achieving psychological and mental health in the general population that often visits waterscapes, which has the function of therapeutic landscapes through values of accessibility, versatility, habitats, and biodiversity. According to theories, waterscapes can improve psychological and mental health to divert negative emotions through mitigation (e.g., reduced urban heat island), instoration (e.g., physical activity and state of nature connectedness), and restoration (e.g., reduced anxiety/attentional fatigue). By accessing water (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and the coast) and riparian areas, people can get in close contact with nature and spend more time in activities (e.g., walking, exploring, talking, and relaxing). Waterscapes with healing effects can enhance psychological resilience to promote people's psychological and mental health. Future research should focus on ensuring an adequate supply of waterscapes and promoting the efficiency of waterscape ecosystem services on mental health. Moreover, fora deep understanding of the complexity of nature-human health associations, it is necessary to explore more consistent evidence for therapeutic waterscapes considering the characteristics and functional mechanisms of waterscape quality, in terms of freshness, luminescence, rippling or fluidity, and cultural value, to benefit public health and biodiversity conservation.

Development and application of practical criteria for the recognition of potential Health Restoration Soundscapes (HeReS) in urban greenspaces

Urban greenspace soundscapes can contribute to the restorative effects that nature provides for the psychological and emotional health of people when certain conditions are met. The main objective of this paper is to propose practical criteria to help planners and managers in the design, development and preservation of urban greenspaces whose soundscapes may contribute to the renewal of health. Systematic literature review informed a conceptual potential Health Restoration Soundscapes (HeReS) model, based on five conditions: (1) Naturalness, (2) Sound Levels, (3) Perceived Sound Sources, (4) Soundscape Assessment, and (5) Sensescape Coherence and proposed Health Restoration Soundscapes Criteria (HeReS-C), for HeReS evaluation in urban green areas. The HeReS-C were applied in 21 sites in Argentina, Sweden, and Chile. General results are provided for all 21 sites, along with three in-depth profiles of HeReS-C applications that provide case studies across a range of resulting HeReS-C scenarios, including sites that meet the HeReS-C criteria, those that do not, and sites that could qualify in the future, if appropriate management measures are taken. HeReS-C showed to be a promising tool for the recognition of potential health-restoring soundscapes in urban greenspaces; informing their design and management to favor the well-being and health of the population.

Bird diversity and psychological wellbeing: A comparison of green and coastal blue space in a neotropical city

Accelerating rates of urbanisation are contributing to biodiversity declines worldwide. However, urban green (e.g. parks) and blue spaces (e.g. coast) provide important habitat for species. Emerging evidence also shows that green and blue spaces can benefit human psychological wellbeing, although few studies originate from the Global South and it is unclear whether more biodiverse spaces offer greater wellbeing gains. We examine how bird diversity (abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, and community composition) in green and coastal blue space in Georgetown, Guyana, is associated with people's wellbeing (positive and negative affect, anxiety) in situ, using point counts and questionnaires. Bird community composition differed between green and coastal sites, and diversity was significantly higher in green sites. Positive affect and anxiety did not differ between green and coastal sites, but negative affect was higher in coastal sites. Mixed-effect models showed no associations between biodiversity and wellbeing, implying other features are contributing to people's positive wellbeing. Despite no association between biodiversity and wellbeing, both green and coastal blue sites are important for wellbeing and supporting different bird communities. City planning authorities and public health professionals should ensure these social and environmental needs are met in developing cities in the Global South.

Assessing Emotional Responses to the Spatial Quality of Urban Green Spaces through Self-Report and Face Recognition Measures

Although creating a high-quality urban green space (UGS) is of considerable importance in public health, few studies have used individuals' emotions to evaluate the UGS quality. This study aims to conduct a multidimensional emotional assessment method of UGS from the perspective of spatial quality. Panoramic videos of 15 scenes in the West Lake Scenic Area were displayed to 34 participants. For each scene, 12 attributes regarding spatial quality were quantified, including perceived plant attributes, spatial structure attributes, and experiences of UGS. Then, the Self-Assessment-Manikin (SAM) scale and face recognition model were used to measure people's valence-arousal emotion values. Among all the predictors, the percentages of water and plants were the most predictive indicators of emotional responses measured by SAM scale, while the interpretation rate of the model measured by face recognition was insufficiently high. Concerning gender differences, women experienced a significantly higher valence than men. Higher percentages of water and plants, larger sizes, approximate shape index, and lower canopy densities were often related to positive emotions. Hence, designers must consider all structural attributes of green spaces, as well as enrich visual perception and provide various activities while creating a UGS. In addition, we suggest combining both physiological and psychological methods to assess emotional responses in future studies. Because the face recognition model can provide objective measurement of emotional responses, and the self-report questionnaire is much easier to administer and can be used as a supplement.

Sound and Soundscape in Restorative Natural Environments: A Narrative Literature Review

Acoustic experiences of nature represent a growing area in restorative environments research and are explored in this narrative literature review. First, the work surveyed indicates that nature is broadly characterized by the sounds of birdsong, wind, and water, and these sounds can enhance positive perceptions of natural environments presented through visual means. Second, isolated from other sensory modalities these sounds are often, although not always, positively affectively appraised and perceived as restorative. Third, after stress and/or fatigue nature sounds and soundscapes can lead to subjectively and objectively improved mood and cognitive performance, as well as reductions in arousal, although some inconsistencies in findings are observed. Fourth, theoretical frameworks of restorative environments would benefit from inclusion of acoustic environmental properties such as sound intensity or frequency. Fifth, findings regarding positive, learned semantic associations with nature have arisen as a result of recent work on sounds and restoration. This represents another important area of potential theoretical development for broader restorative environments research.

A Transdisciplinary Approach to Recovering Natural and Cultural Landscape and Place Identification: A Case Study of Can Moritz Spring (Rubí, Spain)

The perception of the quality of green and blue spaces can be key in the relationship between a community and its local landscape (i.e., place identification). The lack of transdisciplinary training and social-specific education of landscape architects regarding the complexity of landscape as a participative cultural artefact limits reaching the general population. Bridging this gap of landscape and place identification and evaluation by a local community was the main objective of the present case study conducted at an abandoned spring and seasonal stream area in Rubí (Spain). The "Steinitz method" of landscape evaluation was used as a participatory method to activate community members to learn about and express their visual preferences regarding this neglected landscape. Bottom-up interventions applying an "urban acupuncture" approach in the area identified as the least attractive by the residents were co-designed and combined with a top-down restoration of a nearby, existing but derelict and hidden, spring. In addition, before and after planning and implementing the intervention, we conducted surveys about the community perception, sense of belonging and use of the space. We observed that the lack of awareness of the inhabitants about this spring was an obstacle preventing the community from embracing the potential for health and wellbeing presented by the spring and adjacent landscape. Following the work, the landscape saw increasing use, and the historic spring was brought back to life as a resource to help people to improve their health and wellbeing.