Restorative Environments

Abstract

AbstractRestorative environment research is flourishing. Widespread appreciation of the concept has been spurred by two influential theories and has led to a substantive body of research. This chapter gives an overview of what has happened in this area. It begins with a description of the two theories, attention restoration theory and the psycho-evolutionary theory of stress reduction, their content, similarities, and differences, and then reports on the research done in a number of environmental domains: nature, both wild and managed, the home, the workplace, museums and religious environments, hospitals, other health care settings, and favorite places. The following paragraphs then discuss central concepts in restorative environment research: perceived restorativeness and its determinants, new approaches to visual analysis of environmental scenes, and the social context of restoration. The chapter closes with a look into the future, to new methods, expansion of theoretical approaches, and applications.