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Stress and the City: Restorative Environments Claudia Andrade, Veronica Cerina, Carolina Cravo, Anna Eplenyi, Sandra Gressler, Jasmin Honold, Christina Kelz, Judith Lurvink, Frank Muscara, Roos Pals, Louise Ritchie and Leila Scannell Agnes van den Berg & Yannick Joye

Content Introduction Research Proposals –Solitary nature experiences –Different sensory experiences in memories of nature and restoration across a lifespan –Contact with nature during childhood makes a differences in nature restorative effects and pro-environmental behaviors Conclusion

Urban Stressors

Theories of restorative effects of nature Attention Restoration Theory (ART; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989 ) Stress Reduction Theory (SRT; Ulrich et al, 1991 ) Perceptual Fluency Theory (PFT; Joye,2009 )

Research has shown that nature has a positive impact in a number of urban spaces –Residential settings –Parks –Commercial settings –Work environments –Schools –Gardens –Streetscapes –Hospitals

Practical Implementations Potted plants and flowers in the retail environment Incorporating variety and planning in urban green spaces and buildings Greening the streets Providing views to nature in urban offices Interior/exterior gardens in schools or care settings Roof gardens or green-roofs, and providing views on these Using natural materials, like wood, for urban seating areas Greenery next to highways Paintings and photographs of nature in residential settings

Stress and the City Workshop Peak nature experience discussion Small group research proposals Integration of research proposals three research proposals Fun and Interesting week!!

Solitary nature experiences day and night Roos Pals & Jasmin Honold

Introduction Urban parks: restoration, escape, therapeutic places (Milligan & Bingley, 2007) Adolescents can especially benefit Limited use at times when sun sets early Lack of research on restorative qualities at different times of day

Research objective Do adolescents benefit from solitary nature experiences? Is nocturnal nature experience more beneficial than diurnal experience? Does fear interfere with restorative benefits?

Theoretical background Peak experiences Kaplan & Kaplan (1989): process model of restoration 1. Clearing the head 2. Recharging directed attention capacity 3. “Hear” unattended thoughts/matters 4. Reflection on one’s life Intensity of experience predicts depth of restoration Elevated arousal at night Attention focus on oneself

Hypotheses Solitary nature experience has a more positive effect on adolescents’ restorative and affective state than solitary urban experience These beneficial effects are higher in the night condition

Design 2 (day vs night) X 2 (urban woodlands vs. unfamiliar urban area) between subjects

Procedure Recruitment: volunteering teenagers who want to reflect on their lives or decisions Parent’s permission Pre-tests: crime trauma and achluophobia (fear of darkness) 3 measurement points

Design Cortisol Affect Restorative State Affect Restorative State Perceived Safety T1T3T2: Treatment Solitary nature experience Interview

Implications H1  Education, e.g. programs for adolescents/ juvenile delinquents H2  urban planning: make parks more attractive and accessible at night! Actual safety measures Enhance perceived safety H3  features evoking positive emotions Other visual stimuli Auditory stimuli  connectedness, attachment, littering behavior

Successful urban parks: Social interaction, restoration, and different sensory experiences among the elderly

Background Most of the restoration studies are limited to vision (e.g., Kaplan, 2001; Ulrich, 1984) Few studies have explored the most important features of restoration for different user groups (e.g., Rodiek, 2006)

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE What makes a successful park experience for the elderly, in terms of: restoration intergenerational interaction sensory experiences

Method –Participants: Elderly above 65 years old who live in an urban context –Study 1: Memory interviews AB Nature experiencesSensory experiences

–Pre-test: Experienced Restorative State Scale (ERSS; van den Berg, 2009) - Naturalistic observation of intergenerational interaction - Post-test: Experienced Restorative Scale (ERS) - Open-ended questions about their experience in the park – Study 2: Restoration and social interaction

Variables Independent variables –Type of context (e.g., park with design features; park without these features; control area) –Type of memory (e.g., negative or positive, which type of sensory aspect) Dependent variables –Experienced Restoration –Quantity and quality of social interaction

Practical Implications Designers could highlight important sensory aspects in urban parks Create guidelines for successful park features

Does contact with nature during childhood make a difference in nature restorative effects and pro- environmental behavior in adulthood?

Positive effects of nature Restorative and health effects (Kuo, 2001; Ulrich et al., 1991; Kaplan, 1993; Ulrich, 1984). Pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors Contact with nature during childhood has a positive relationship to adult environmental attitudes (Wells & Lekies, 2006; Kals, Schumacher & Montada, 1999) We still don’t know if contact with nature during childhood influences adulthood restoration from nature. We want to reinforce the evidence that contact with nature during childhood influences pro- environmental attitudes and behaviors. But…

Conceptual Model Contact with nature Environmental attitudes Environmental behaviors Contact with nature Restoration from nature Study 1 Study 2

Hypothesis Adults that had high contact with nature during childhood are expected to: - Live nearer natural areas and use more natural areas, - Have more pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, - Benefit more from restorative effects from nature, …than adults that had low contact with nature during childhood.

Study 1: Childhood influence of nature contact on adulthood nature contact and their pro-environmental attitudes & behaviors High Moderate Low Contact with nature during childhood Independent variableDependent variables Childhood nature contact (Questionnaires for subjects & relatives) -Availability of nature near residence -Frequency and duration of access to nature (daily, weekend, holiday use) Adulthood nature contact (Questionnaire for subjects) -Availability of nature near residence -Frequency and duration of access to nature (daily, weekend, holiday use) Adulthood pro-environmental attitudes New Environmental Paradigm (NEP; Dunlap et al., 2002) Adulthood pro-environmental behaviors Pro-environmental behaviors questions (Wells & Lekies, 2006)

Study 2: Childhood influence of nature contact on adulthood restoration effects from nature Laboratory experiment 1.) Stress induction (Stroop Task) 2.) Presentation of photographs of natural landscapes Independent variable Childhood nature contact Dependent variables Adulthood restoration Cortisol measurements (Salivette) Adulthood well-being Profile of Moods States (POMS; Wald, 1984) High Moderate Low Contact with nature during childhood

Impacts If we confirm that contact with nature during childhood is related with -restorative effects of nature and -pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes… Local governments should provide conditions that promote contact with nature from early childhood on. Urban Planning: more green spaces in residential areas Education: more school outdoor activities Public events: more outdoor social activities

Thank you! These are just the first steps! Questions??