Helena Nordh

Promoting Youth’s Physical Activity through Park Design: Linking Theory and Practice in a Public Health Perspective

Abstract Young people are increasingly prone to physical inactivity, which may have severe negative effects on their health in adulthood. The aim of this literature review was to identify components and characteristics of parks that have an effect on youth physical activity, and to discuss how these findings can be applied in park design. The results show that access to green space is the most frequently reported predictor of park use among youth. The review identified a range of characteristics and components of urban green spaces important to youth physical activity. These include sports fields/facilities for movement, walkways and paths, shadow and shelter, trees, water elements, maintenance, renovation, form and size, openness, naturalness and safety. The study identifies some shortcomings in the currently available literature on the topic. Studies investigating the importance of specific park components and characteristics are few, and youth is an understudied age group.

Tracking Restorative Components: Patterns in Eye Movements as a Consequence of a Restorative Rating Task

Abstract Eye tracking was used to investigate the task of assessing how likely it is that one would be able to rest and recover in small urban spaces and how it affects the view pattern. We assess which environmental components, for example, flowers and trees, participants look at when evaluating restoration likelihood. Further, we compare number of fixations in restorative and non-restorative park photos. Photos were selected based on ratings of low and high likelihood of restoration. Participants were asked to imagine themselves in need of restoration. Photos were presented for 10 seconds each. In contrast to studies adapting a free viewing approach, the present study shows that image properties such as contrast and colour did not attract attention; instead participants looked at components that were of importance for assessing restoration likelihood. The components participants looked at the most were trees, followed by benches and bushes. This presents new information on peoples view patterns in relation to the task of rating restoration likelihood. In addition, relations between the park components at which participants looked the most and the ratings on restoration likelihood were explored. As expected, we found a positive correlation between grass and restoration likelihood. The relations were negative for all other variables, although not significant. The negative relations were rather unexpected, and possible explanations for them are discussed. Finally, we analysed the association between number of fixations and restoration likelihood ratings, and no correlation was found.

Quantitative methods of measuring restorative components in urban public parks

The paper demonstrates how quantitative methods can be used in a landscape architecture study. Three different methods to determine how people evaluate the psychological restoration/relaxation potential of small urban parks, as described in attention restoration theory, were assessed. The methods presented and evaluated are: ratings of environments based on quantified photos, eye tracking and choice-based conjoint analysis. Ratings of environments based on quantified photos allow regression analysis to assess the environmental components that individually predict the outcome, in this case restoration likelihood. Eye tracking provides objective data on which environmental components people look at when assessing the landscape. Conjoint analysis enables determination of those components and levels of components that are most important to people in a choice situation. Conjoint analysis is based on textual rather than visual stimuli. As illustrated by the results from each method, the quantitative approach provides potentially useful information to researchers and professionals in landscape architecture.

A green space between life and death – a case study of activities in Gamlebyen Cemetery in Oslo, Norway

ABSTRACT The amount of green space in urban areas is shrinking. Densification and the introduction of new user groups in most cities today is leading to more intensive use of public spaces and the need for more space. Urban cemeteries constitute a unique type of public space: while some may consider them primarily religious and contemplative spaces, others see them as primarily recreational or as heritage sites steeped in history. The authors examine the extent to which the pressure on cities’ open green areas combined with influences from intercultural encounters is mirrored in the use and character of cemeteries today – exemplified by Gamlebyen Cemetery (Gamlebyen Gravlund) in Oslo, Norway. They used observations in combination with short semi-structured interviews with those using the cemetery. The findings of pilot study conducted in 2013 suggest that religious aspects played a minor role and that the recreational aspects were more important to most of the interviewees. Many of them considered that the cemetery provided a pleasant green walkway on their way to work, busses or city services. The cemetery offered a combination of calmness, an aesthetically pleasant environment, and ‘cultivated nature’ in an urban context, and was thus an arena that invited respect and esteem.

Norwegian allotment gardens — a study of motives and benefits

Abstract Interest in urban allotment gardens (AGs) has increased during recent years. In Oslo, the capital of Norway, one must wait 10–20 years to get a plot in one of the urban AGs. Being an urban gardener can have a number of health benefits. However, the literature in this field has primarily studied community gardens in which it is not possible to stay overnight. An AG in Oslo is a plot of about 200 m2 with a small cottage one can live in during the summer season. In the present study, we explore individual plot holders’ reasons for engaging in one of the AGs in Oslo. Thirty-three plot holders were interviewed. The topics discussed concerned their reasons for and the perceived benefits of being plot holders. The findings show that the reasons for engaging in urban gardening are mainly related to a desire for a safe play environment for the children, a place to cultivate, and direct contact with the outdoors. The benefits of having a plot were related to having meaningful activities, being part of a social network and having a respite from ‘normal’ life in one’s apartment. The present findings are unique in that they show that being a plot holder in an AG in Oslo involves much more than having a leisure activity or a place to cultivate. It has health benefits, both physical and psychological. It is a way of living and makes life in the city liveable. In times of densification, it is interesting to discuss the role of the AGs from the gardener’s perspective, but also from a planning perspective.

Green urban cemeteries: more than just parks

Abstract Inspired of Lefebvre’s and De Certau’s perspectives on social production of space, this study aims to explore cemeteries’ functions in urban life nowadays. Our starting point is that green urban cemeteries have two main functions: their primary purpose is as a burial ground, while their secondary function is as public spaces for reflections, recreation, and cultural encounters. We ask for whom the cemeteries are designed and managed, and in what ways they are actually used. To explore these questions, qualitative data from two cemeteries in Oslo is analyzed. Both visitors and people passing through the sites were interviewed during the summer of 2014 about their intention to be at the cemetery and their views about the place. We point to a series of positive measures rather than forbidden signs that should be instigated to help promoting the great potential green urban cemeteries have for citizens and a future sustainable city.

Visiting the Allotment Garden—A Complete Experience

ABSTRACT This study explored the experiences of healthy elderly regularly visiting the allotment gardens (AGs) in a large city of Norway. Semistructured interviews with eight elderly visitors were analyzed by applying Malteruds strategy for systematic text condensation. Three main themes evolved: AG as a context for social experience; AG as a context for restorative experiences; and AG as a context for reminiscence experiences. The findings underline the importance of AGs as a natural and cultural context and may encourage politicians and planners to take into consideration the importance of neighborhood outdoor contexts offering social, nature, and reminiscence experiences for elderly people.

The phenomenon of walking: diverse and dynamic

Abstract Everyday walking is a far-reaching activity with the potential to increase health and well-being in the general public. From a phenomenological perspective, walking can be seen as a function of being-in-the-world, where the landscape, a sense of place, and the moment are closely entwined with the walker’s own lived experiences. Using interviews with 73 walkers in a medium-sized town in Norway, this article explores the phenomenon of everyday walking. The data illustrate the multiple ways in which people emphasise well-being and ascribe meaning to their walking experiences, and how these ways may vary significantly during a life course, from day to day, and even within a single walk. Insights from this study may prove useful to policy-makers and administrative bodies in acknowledging people’s various needs and gains related to everyday walking, and hence for promoting a diversified management of walking within the field of health policy, as well as in urban planning for walkable cities.