Abstract compilation

Testing a new method to determine the window view from home and how it affects physical health

Christina Kelz (Cornell University and University of Vienna), Gary W. Evans (Cornell University), Helmut Leder (University of Vienna)

Abstract: Nature in people’s window views has been found to benefit concentration and health (Tennessen & Cimprich, 1995; Wells, 2000; Kaplan, 2001, Evans, Wells, Chan, & Saltzman, 2000). Determination of nature in view varied from taking pictures to rating scales.
We asked 129 children aged 10-14 to remember and draw their homes’ window views and indicate with “B” what was built, “N” for nature and “S” for sky. Following nature ratio was calculated:

• Percentage built (%B)= Abuilt*100 /(Abuilt+Anature+Asky)
• Percentage nature (%N) = Anature*100 /( Anature+Abuilt+ Asky)
• Ratio between built features and nature= (- %B) +%N

The resulting numbers varied between -100 (only built features) and +100 (only nature). Sky was excluded from the equation as its presence has been found to make no substantial contribution to beneficial effects of nature views (Kaplan, 2001).
The drawings were validated by taking photographs of the actual views of a subsample of 23 children. Correlation between drawings and photographs turned out to be .456 (p=.016). Further, we categorized the total sample (129 children) in quartiles according to the nature ratio. Planned comparisons showed that children having a very natural view (highest quartile) compared to all others had a significantly lower diastolic blood pressure (F=7.52, p=.007), systolic blood pressure (F=4.65; p=.033) and heart rate (F=11.69; p=.001).

Keywords: Window view, nature, children, health

Teenager’s everyday ‘doings’ and the restorative niches that support them.

Authors:  Jenny Roe and Peter A Aspinall:  Vision, Environment and Wellbeing (VEW), School of Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS.

Abstracts: This paper explores wellbeing from the perspective of the psychological dynamics underlying young people’s relationship with place. It uses a dynamic model of wellbeing – personal projects (Little 1983) - which captures the concept of ‘flourishing’ i.e. functioning well in your activities, strivings and interactions with the world. Using personal project analysis we identify salient activities and strivings in young people and the ‘restorative niches’ that best support these activities.  A series of everyday settings (including home, urban and natural outdoor places) were explored using project analysis techniques with 45 young people (11-13) living in Central Scotland.   Participants were asked to think of 10 projects of current importance to them, to say where the project took place and to rate each project against a series of core wellbeing dimensions (how much fun, stress, support, efficacy etc). Latent class analysis was carried out to explore clusters – or sub-groups – in the data and to identify the significant discriminators between clusters.  A three-cluster model produced the best fit with wellbeing indicators significantly discriminating between the three clusters. Cluster profiles provided evidence that natural settings (faraway places, the local outdoors) support projects associated with high levels of wellbeing and developmental needs in young people, particularly autonomy, but that the home remains a dominant project setting in this age group. We discuss findings in comparison with similar adult studies (Wallenius 1999) and suggest that natural settings have greater significance within adolescent project systems, but that support is needed to facilitate access, particularly to further afield places. Our findings are discussed in relation to adolescent developmental needs and new models of wellbeing emerging in the U.K. that focus on concepts of flourishing (New Economics Foundation 2011).

Keywords: personal project, wellbeing, flourishing, restorative niches. 

References

Little, B. R. (1983) ‘Personal projects:  a rationale and method for investigation’ in Environment and Behavior, 15: 273-309.
Wallenius, M. (1999), ‘Personal Projects in Everyday Places: Perceived Supportiveness of the Environment and Psychological Well-Being’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19 (2): 131-143
New Economics Foundation (2011): Measuring our progress, The power of well-being.

Green areas motivating and impeding children’s independent mobility

Anna Broberg (M.Sc., planning geography), Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, Aalto University

Abstract: I will introduce preliminary results of a research project concentrating on children’s environmental experiences and their independent mobility in different urban environments in Greater Helsinki Region. Children (n=800) produced the data with a softGIS method combining internet maps and questionnaires. Children localized their personally meaningful places and told about their experiences, physical activity and perceived health and well-being.
The produced experiential data was analysed in its geographical context, and residential densities and existence of green structures within respondents’ home environments and around personally meaningful places were calculated from register based GIS data.
Preliminary regression analysis shows that associations between urban structure (residential density, green structures) and children’s experiences and behavior are many-faceted and partly mixed. Children living in greener areas travel less actively to school than those living in denser areas. However, the higher the percentage of green structures around child’s home, the greater the territorial range for the child.
It is important to find out what are the motivations for children’s use of green spaces. Thus green areas can be planned to be intriguing and activating settings for children and youth. This will be discussed further in the presentation.

Keywords: children, environmental experiences, perceived health, GIS

Landforms and vegetation in playground design – the impact on play and behaviour

Anne Dahl Refshauge^a, Lise Specht Pedersen^b, and Ulrika K. Stigsdotter^a

^a Forest & Landscape, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, ^b Centre for Sports, Health and Civil Society, Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark

Abstract: This study investigates the design and use of four public playgrounds in urban green areas in Copenhagen, Denmark. Common for all four is an implementation of vegetation and landforms into the playground design. The study explores different ways of connecting play equipment with landforms and vegetation and how that seems to affect play and behaviour. The results of user observations through behaviour mapping show, that the different playgrounds generate different kinds of use in terms of play; physical activity; adult involvement in play; and social interaction which can be explained by the design of the playgrounds. Certain relations between landforms, vegetation, and play equipment seem to provide more affordances than others. The results can be of inspiration to playground designers, planners, and managers who in future projects should consider how the physical features of playgrounds relate and connect to each other.

Keywords: Adult play; affordances; behaviour mapping; children.

Nature in educational settings for children:
Effects on cognitive performance, stress reduction, and social interaction

Massimiliano Scopelliti ¹, Giuseppe Carrus ², Sabine Pirchio ³ & Ylenia Passatore ³

¹ LUMSA University, Rome, Italy. Faculty of Education Sciences
² University of Roma Tre, Italy. Department of Cultural and Educational Studies
³ Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology

Abstract: This study investigates the effects of nature on children well-being in educational settings. A consistent bulk of research has shown that contact with nature promotes many beneficial outcomes. Among the others, psychological restoration, namely the recovery of an effective cognitive functioning and the reduction of stress level. In addition, nature can promote positive social interaction. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that contact with nature in educational settings promotes psychological restoration and increases the quality of children’s social interaction. Children’s performance in structured activities and behaviour in free play after time spent in outdoor green space vs. indoor space were compared, controlling for several confounding variables. In particular, children’s performance in a visual-spatial task, and children emotional and social behaviour (through a checklist) were assessed. Results of a pilot study with 16 children (age range 18-36 months) attending a child-care centre in Rome, Italy, suggest that contact with outdoor green spaces positively influence both children’s performance and social behaviour. The main study, involving about 100 children in five different child-care centres confirms the positive effects of nature on children’s cognitive functioning, stress reduction, and social interaction in educational settings.

Keywords: nature, educational settings, psychological restoration, social interaction.

Impact of space requirements in outdoor play areas. A study of public kindergartens in Oslo.

Askild H Nilsen and Caroline M Hägerhäll

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning, Ås, Norway

Abstract: Many children spend a lot of time in kindergartens. Numerous studies point at the importance of relevant outdoor play space to benefit children’s physical and cognitive learning. In Norway, few studies on physical aspects of the child care setting have been performed, especially research assessing in what way regulations regarding outdoor space requirements protect play area for children. This study investigates the current situation regarding space in outdoor play areas in public kindergartens in relation to changes in legislations affecting space requirements. The hypothesis is that changed legislations and pressure of full coverage have influenced the available size of play area per child. The chosen study area is the city of Oslo, capital of Norway, and the selected material is all public kindergarten premises offering a full day service. The physical situation registered at each premise was held up against the findings in a document review to understand previous and current space requirements regarding outdoor play areas. The conclusion of this study suggests that all legislative changes regarding space requirements in outdoor play area in kindergartens, have led to less play space per child and loss of protection for the outdoor play area.

Keywords: Structural quality, city development, green structure, norms

Design of urban woodland in relation to children’s activity in forest kindergartens

Inger Lerstrup, Forest & Landscape, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Abstract: In order to suggest design parameters for urban woodland suitable to kindergartens, the presented project investigates the frames, routines and experiences of Danish forest kindergartens, related to their use of local woodland settings. The study comprises a survey of all forest kindergartens in Denmark, interviews with pre-school teachers, and observations of children’s activity in selected forest kindergartens.

Presented are the preliminary results from a pilot study observing children’s activity on a playground and in the forest. Results indicate that children are utterly active in both environments. However, the variety of sensations and experiences, the possibilities for undisturbed activity and the opportunities to withdraw and restore are greater in the woodland setting. This seems connected to the structure and dynamic qualities of the natural environment and to the space and aesthetic qualities of the forest. Opportunities related to undisturbed time and presence of only few rules also play a role.

The forest varies in topography, ground layer, features, ‘loose’ elements and mouldable parts, and varies with season and weather. Adding to this, forest kindergartens tend to use a number of different woodland sites. Some of the mentioned woodland qualities may be promoted in traditional kindergarten playgrounds and in existing urban woodland.

Keywords: Childrens activity, experience, playground, forest kindergarten, forest site, woodland structure

Green education in Poland – ecological farms promoting healthy life style and care for the environment among children

Monika Joanna LATKOWSKA

Faculty of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Poland

Abstract: Nowadays children living in the urbanised environment have very limited contact with nature, horticulture, farming and traditional food production. Ecological farms offering ‘green education’ for preschool and primary school children can fill in this educational and cognitive gap by enabling them to come into contact with plants, animals, local traditions, ecological food production and biological diversity. Contact with nature and socio-cultural environment of the countryside is very important for the child development and education. ‘Green education’ offered by the agroeducational farms matches the UNESCO programme ‘Education for the Sustainable Development’ and its concern about the health of young generations and care for the environment. The study presents the overview of selected ’green education’ initiatives in Poland: their educational offer, users’ groups, production profile, rules of functioning. Selected ‘educational farms’ provide farming activities for groups of children from kindergartens and primary schools, as well as for the families. They offer several workshops like: plant and animal observation, biodiversity of countryside, traditional food production and handicraft, local traditions and habits, ecological farming and environment protection, healthy life style. Agroeducational farms usually combine their educational activities with farm tourism.

Keywords: ecological education, educational farm, natural environment, sustainable development

Effects of green care farms on different client groups

Marjolein Elings

Abstract: The number of green care farms in the Netherlands has increased rapidly from 75 in 1998 to over more than 1000 at present. Care farms are not only a growing phenomenon in the Netherlands, also in the rest of Europe there is a growing interest in so called green care activities. Green care farms or ‘care farming’ are defined as the use of commercial farms and agricultural landscape as a base for promoting mental and physical health through normal farming activities (Hassink, 2006). Care farming is a growing movement that provides health, social or educational benefits through farming for a wide range of people (Hine et al., 2008). These may include a variety of client groups with defined medical or social needs, such as psychiatric patients, people with learning disabilities or people with a drug history.
The last couple of years more research has been done to investigate the added value and effects of care farms on different kind of client groups. The presentation will highlight the results of these effect studies.

Keywords: green care farms, effect study, rehabilitation