Spaces for relaxing, spaces for recharging: How parks affect people's emotions

Abstract

Is it possible to develop urban spaces that address the different emotional and well-being needs of individuals? This work seeks to answer this question by focusing on the role of urban parks in helping users to relax and/or recharge their energy. Participants were presented with 15 images depicting three categories of urban parks, i.e., Green Parks with only natural greenery and water elements, Colorful Parks with a mixture of natural greenery and colorful architectural elements, and Squares with urban furniture and some greenery. Their task was to rate on a 9-point Likert scale the extent to which each image induced calmness, energy, happiness, nervousness, tiredness and sadness (1 = not at all; 9 = very much). The results showed that Green Parks had a more positive impact on the participants' mood than Colorful Parks and Squares. However, Colorful Parks, as compared to Squares, were more energizing and alleviated sadness. Finally, while Green Parks were more calming than energizing, the opposite was true for Colorful Parks. These preliminary results indicate that different types of urban spaces can positively affect different dimensions of mood, from relaxation in green spaces to recharging in colorful spaces.