Urban Park Characteristic as a Key Element for Mental Health Restoration in Malaysia

Abstract

A recent study has reported that the Malaysian urban population faces mental health problems due to urbanisation. Nature environment has been expected to give restoration experience among people. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyse the relationship between park characteristics and mental health restoration in an urban park. Survey questionnaires (n=382) were distributed among urban park users. The analysis was conducted using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model. Results show that the Serene and Nature dimensions are the significant factors that give a restorative experience among urban park users. These findings can assist landscape architects in advocating for creating the urban park for mental health restoration. Keywords: Mental health; restoration experience; perceived sensory dimension, restorative environment eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.3377