Last month, a research study on the urban places that can contribute to mental wellbeing was published. This was a collaboration involving researchers from the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Finland, and Australia, involving UPT’s senior researcher Anna Bornioli.
Urban favourite places
An online survey, conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic, asked to 945 participants what their favourite places in the city are. The chosen favourite outdoor places included parks (34.7%), urban forests (11.6%), bodies of water (9.5%) and open built settings such as squares, streets and the terraces of bars (12,7%). Among indoor settings, the home (30.3%); bars, cafés or restaurants (19.9%); libraries (14.7%) and museums or cultural centers (5.3%) were the most commonly described favourite settings.
Favourite outdoor places were characterized by presence of green and natural elements, and it emerged that individuals seek for peace and tranquility there. They were found to be more restorative than indoor places. In indoor places, personal belongings and other people were important in explaining the mental wellbeing benefits. It was common to experience attachment and identification with places in these indoor environments.
Some differences between countries emerged. For example, terraces at restaurants and bars were more common for Dutch and British participants; museums and cultural centers were chosen as favourite indoor places more often in the Spanish and Australian groups.
The importance of urban settings for mental wellbeing
The benefits of spending time in nature are well-known. This study highlights that also other urban places are important for mental wellbeing. Also, two thirds of the sample reported greater restoration in their favourite outdoor setting than in indoor setting. This shows that parks and natural spaces, but also restaurant terraces and squares, are important to promote citizens’ mental wellbeing. Considering the Covid-19 pandemic and behavioural restrictions to movement, these results show that access to open spaces is important for mental wellbeing. In the post-pandemic era, it will be important to provide open spaces in the city including natural areas, but also public spaces to socialize.
The full study is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101706
