The Role of Urban Parks for the Sustainable City Essay Example

appreciation, emotional responses, recognition of communal advantages, and satisfaction provided by green spaces within cities. Although an exploratory study, it offered valuable insights for city planners and developers regarding the impact of public green spaces on urban residents' happiness and wellbeing.

The collected data has been analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques to provide an explanation. The results from the analysis of motivations for nature revealed that decision-makers could utilize this information to create strategies that align with the public's demands and expectations. Figure 2 illustrates that "To relax" was ranked highest in Motives for nature, with a frequency of 34. This could be attributed to the desire to escape daily routines and enjoy fresh air. "To be in nature" was the second most frequent response with a frequency of 254. Other motives, such as "To escape from the city," "To be with children," and "To meditate" followed in that order with frequencies of 154, 95, and 84, respectively.

Despite no gender differences, Table 1 in this article shows age disparities, with younger individuals preferring sports and social interaction while adults and older visitors prefer nature observation and relaxation with their children. The study aims to explore the emotional aspect of nature with regards to enhancing cognition and overall well-being. Participants were asked a range of 1-5 point and multiple-choice questions about their feelings towards nature, with Figure 3 demonstrating that freedom was the most commonly experienced emotion, with a frequency of 299.

The following categories were ranked in order of importance: Unity with nature (199), Happiness, Unity with myself, and Luck (163, 159, and 154 respectively). Like previous studies, there were no significant gender

differences but age correlations existed. Table 2 considered recreation and spirituality as two important factors. The results indicate that people’s emotional experiences play a vital role in their well-being. Additionally, participants were asked open-ended questions to express personal opinions regarding the importance of natural experiences for overall citizen prosperity.

Table 3 presents the key arguments and their interrelation. According to the evidence from Hartig et al's (1987, 1991) experimental study, natural environments offer effective remedies for stress and can help restore mental and physical well-being of urban residents. They remarked that "natural environments are a potent source of rejuvenating experiences". Similarly, Thompson (2002) observed that for a significant number of city inhabitants, parks embody a spiritual or metaphysical aspect of nature.

According to the survey, the current state of urban green space is dissatisfactory for 59% of the participants. To address this concern, it is suggested that sustainable criteria for urban development should include additional criteria regarding public places and green open spaces. The survey focused on understanding the motivations and perceptions of citizens towards a Dutch urban park, revealing varying age-related motivations and meeting citizen demands. While the precise role of urban parks was not clearly established, the study provides insight on related factors. Chiesura, A.

(2003) Landscape and urban planning 68 (2004, pp. 129-138) discusses the significance of urban parks in promoting sustainable cities.