01 Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/handle/11682/2
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Item Open Access Informing the design of urban green and blue spaces through an understanding of Europeans' usage and preferences(2022) Jakstis, Kristen; Dubovik, Maria; Laikari, Arto; Mustajärvi, Kaisa; Wendling, Laura; Fischer, Leonie K.In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature‐based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID‐19 pandemic and its associated stressors highlighted the interrelated socio‐ecological services provided by nature‐based solutions like urban green and blue spaces. This pan‐European study therefore aimed to enhance the socio‐ecological understanding of green and blue spaces to support their design and management. Using an online survey, green and blue space preferences, usage, and pandemic‐related changes in greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were examined. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were associated with respondents’ (N = 584 from 15 countries) geographical location, dominant type of neighbourhood greenspace and greenspace availability during the pandemic, but not greenspace perceptions or sociodemographic background. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were generally high; however, Southern Europeans reported lower greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies both before and during the pandemic than Northern Europeans. Many Southern Europeans also reported having few neighbourhood greenspaces and low greenspace availability during the pandemic. The most common outdoor recreational activity among respondents before the pandemic was walking or running with the most frequently stated purpose of time spent outdoors being restorative in nature (i.e. relaxing or calming down). Most Europeans had positive perceptions of green and blue spaces with preferences for structurally diverse and natural or unmanaged green elements. This highlights the importance of accessible green and blue spaces both in everyday life and during times of crisis. Stakeholders, their preferences, and regional and cultural differences should be included in the co‐design of urban green and blue spaces to maximize their potential for both people and nature.Item Open Access Urban nature and public health : how nature exposure and sociocultural background relate to depression risk(2021) Jakstis, Kristen; Fischer, Leonie K.As the world’s population becomes more urbanized, there is an associated decrease in nature exposure and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, including depression. Previous cross-sectional studies examining urban nature exposure and depression have reported favorable associations. However, many of these studies rely primarily on nature exposure metrics that measure the intensity of nature exposure, while other dimensions of urban nature exposure remain understudied. Therefore, in a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based case study targeting a general urban population (n = 282), we examined the relationship between two less commonly studied urban nature exposure variables (i.e., gardening behavior and greenspace visit frequency) and depression risk while also considering sociocultural background (multivariate logistic regression model). Results indicated that being a gardener was significantly associated with a reduced odds of being at risk of depression and that having a family migration history, but not a self-migration history, was associated with increased odds of being at risk of depression. In the examination of neighborhood socialization frequency and depression risk, we did not determine any significant association. The results of this study, therefore, highlight the importance of considering both people’s sociocultural backgrounds and urban nature exposure in more detail to help plan for and support healthier cities in the future.Item Open Access Human-nature interaction in urban socio-ecological systems(2025) Jakstis, Kristen; Fischer, Leonie K. (Prof. Dr.)Human-nature interactions are an ubiquitous part of life and are integral for forming strong human-nature relationships that benefit people, while also potentially supporting non-human nature. Indeed, diverse human-nature interactions have been associated with many positive outcomes related to mental and physical well-being, learning, inspiration, development, and the cultivation of a strong sense of nature-connectedness. These positive outcomes for humans can additionally have cascading benefits for non-human nature with, for example, people who feel more connected to nature being more likely to support pro-environmental and pro-biodiversity actions. Despite these positive outcomes, people are interacting less with their natural environment, especially in urban areas, which reduces the opportunity for many urban residents to experience such nature-derived benefits. In this context, it is increasingly important to understand human-nature interactions in urban areas in particular, so that such interactions can be supported year-round to enhance the lives of both diverse urban residents and urban nature. This support for urban people and nature is especially critical as Earth and its inhabitants face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. In recent years, the research community has made substantial strides in studying urban human-nature interactions and relationships. Yet, there are several aspects of these relationships that have received less research attention, but are nevertheless essential to better understand human-nature interactions, their perception, and subsequent impact on urban life. Therefore, the overarching objective of this dissertation is to examine a subset of these understudied, yet critical, aspects of human-nature interactions within urban socio-ecological systems. The research will contribute to a fuller understanding of urban human-nature interactions that can ultimately help support both people and nature, especially in times of urban migration and densification. To accomplish this objective, a framework for urban human-nature interactions was developed to guide and contextualize this research. This framework describes urban human-nature interactions according to their occurrences, perceptions, outcomes, and relationships between these factors. The framework additionally emphasizes the potential impact of attributes of urban socio-ecological systems in which human-nature interactions are imbedded like Covid-19 pandemic conditions, geographic location, and seasonality. Using this framework in the examination of the current research discourse, supported the identification of understudied aspects of urban human-nature interactions related to their occurrence, perception, outcome, and socio-ecological context that led to the four main research questions examined in this dissertation, namely: How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect human-nature interactions in European cities (RQ1)? How is urban human-nature interaction and sociocultural background of Stuttgart residents associated with a specified human health outcome (i.e. depression risk; RQ2)? What characterizes human-nature interaction of Stuttgart’s urban park visitors specifically in winter (RQ3)? What is the current global research discourse on human-nature interactions in winter and what are common themes and relevant gaps for future research (RQ4)? A research methodology that included diverse study designs and analyses across geographic scales, seasons, and Covid-19 pandemic conditions was developed to examine these research questions. The results of the four published articles comprising this dissertation suggest first, that the Covid-19 pandemic affected human-nature interaction patterns in European cities and that existing geographic trends of human-nature interaction were enhanced during the pandemic. Second, high-engagement human-nature interaction in the form of urban gardening was associated with a lower odds of depression risk in a Stuttgart case study, with important nuances for residents with a migration history. Third, certain park visitation behaviors and landscape features were associated with high-engagement nature interaction in Stuttgart’s urban parks, though proportionally few visitors demonstrated high-engagement nature interaction. Fourth, a scoping review of the literature revealed the body of research examining winter human-nature interactions focused on outcomes related to health, recreation and tourism, and culture is relatively small and could benefit from more explicit research attention. Finally, results of all four studies together highlight that urban human-nature interactions are diverse and context specific, affected by urban residents’ unique socio-cultural backgrounds (e.g., migration history and age) and aspects of the socio-ecological systems in which they are imbedded (e.g., Covid-19 pandemic conditions, geographic location, and seasonality). Therefore, adaptive strategies that aim to legitimately include the many perspectives, needs, and preferences of urban residents should be prioritized to help support urban human-nature interactions that are positive for both people and non-human nature alike. From an urban planning standpoint, the holistic integration of measures that support high-quality urban nature and high engagement human-nature interaction can contribute to meeting goals outlined in overarching policy frameworks including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the European Green Deal more broadly.Item Open Access Biodiversity valuation and collective action for urban river ecosystems in Bogotá(2025) Camacho Gutiérrez, Angie C.; Jakstis, Kristen; Fischer, Leonie K.Understanding the relationships between citizens and nature is crucial in cities of the Global South for addressing biodiversity challenges in the context of inequalities and socio-environmental conflicts. We thus addressed how people value urban biodiversity along the Fucha River in Bogotá, Colombia, and act collectively to improve its environmental condition. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined (a) social valuation of ecosystem services and disservices, preferences, intended behaviours toward biodiversity (citizen surveys; n = 145), and (b) collective action for biodiversity (semi-structured interviews with five environmental groups). Key results indicate significant differences in biodiversity valuation along the river, and diverse collective actions. Hereby, positive conditions and community involvement promote a positive valuation of a healthy environment, and negative valuation is largely related to non-ecosystem aspects. A strong preference for environments with higher plant species diversity and naturalness was demonstrated. Thus, within the unequal context of a Global Southern city, biodiverse environments matter for people’s valuation and action towards nature.