Recent research on visitor use of green space suggests that happiness may well grow on trees. See the full article.
Following on from our previous article on the importance of incorporating ‘biophilic’ ideas into JFA landscape designs, a recent Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey showed that now more than ever people are re-connecting with the outside world. Apart from the obvious health and exercise benefits from being outdoors, the research claims that spending time in the natural environment also improved overall wellbeing. People felt more “calm and relaxed, refreshed and revitalised”. The results of this study has helped to give us an insight into the growing appreciation of the natural world around us and shown its real economic value. Although the study suggests that National Trails and National Parks will be the focus of the £3 billion government investment over the next five years, more and more people are moving away from the idea of conventional developments that were historically designed with plant communities put together for aesthetic purposes. With the general public making approximately 3.12 billion visits to the outside environment between March 2014 and February 2015 there has never been more of a demand for sustainable urban green space than there is today. JFA knows this only too well as we pride ourselves on designing landscapes that allow the general public to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life and with 48% of the public saying that “dog walking was the biggest motivation for engaging in the natural environment” it is important to incorporate open green spaces within our designs. Health and exercise reasons followed dog walking as the biggest motivation for engaging with the natural environment with 8 out of 10 people agreeing that being outdoors contributed to their overall health and wellbeing. This is at the forefront of JFA’s mind when engineering landscape designs concerned with residential communities. Just recently JFA undertook a project in Maidstone that incorporated an area of Public Open Space (POS). The design already reflected the results of this study as it included an area of open green space designed to encourage the public to re-connect with the outside world. With landscape designs enticing the public to step outside, overall health and wellbeing of the population can only increase. So who would’ve guessed it, happiness does grow on trees. See government press release here Visits to the great outdoors reach record high, survey reveals – Press releases – GOV.UK
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