Although the health benefits of urban parks have gained significant attention, the effects of viewing park landscape on older adult residents have not commanded much research. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of viewing cherry blossoms in spring and fresh greenery in early summer at urban parks. The experiments were conducted in two viewing spots in the same park in Japan during different seasons, and included 12 participants in both spring (mean age, 66.4 ± 10.5 years) and summer (mean age, 65.75 ± 10.1 years). Participants sat and viewed an urban park and city landscape for 11–15 min. Blood pressure was measured before and after the seated viewing while heart rate was measured continuously. Then, they evaluated the psychological responses using the Profile of Mood States and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Viewing cherry blossoms and fresh greenery in urban parks led to lower blood pressure in spring and early summer than viewing city areas in spring and early summer. Moreover, the score of vigor–activity was significantly higher; tension–anxiety was significantly lower in spring; and the state-anxiety level was significantly lower in early summer. The results of this study suggest that viewing urban parks results in physiological and psychological relaxation.

The benefits of park therapy have been investigated in young adults, but rarely for middle-aged and older adults. This study evaluates the physiological and psychological effects of walking in urban parks and park therapy images in winter, spring, and early summer. The experiments were implemented in two walking courses in the urban park in Japan and involved 12 middle-aged and older adults. Participants walked on walking courses in an urban park and city street for 11–15 min. Their heart rate and blood pressure were evaluated to determine physiological responses. The Profile of Mood States (POMS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Landscape Image Sketching Technique (LIST) were used to determine psychological responses and spatial conditions. Walking in an urban park exhibited lower heart rates and blood pressure as compared to walking in the city. It was congruent with lowered negative moods, total mood disturbance (TMD) scores, and state anxiety, while the higher positive mood was observed in the urban parks as compared to the city. Images in winter displayed trees, relaxation, and comfort; in spring, water, activity, people, surrounding place, and recreational space; and in early summer, greenery, lawn, and broadness. In conclusion, walking in urban parks leads to physiological, psychological relaxation, and varied landscape appreciation.

Green space has a vital role in the community?s health and well-being. Forest bathing is an effective method of enjoying the forest atmosphere through physical activity or relaxing in a forest landscape. However, until now, no one has declared the benefits of forest therapy in Indonesia. This study clarifies the physiological and psychological effects of walking in a campus landscape. This research was conducted using experimental methods through physical activity survey, self-report questionnaires, Visitor Employed Photography (VEP), and automatic classification based on the image annotation API. The experiment was conducted in a park and an arboretum, and thirty-two young university subjects were tested. The participants walked for fifteen minutes on walking routes and district roads. Their blood pressure was measured before and after walking, and their heart rate was measured continuously. During the walk, the subjects took photographs of striking scenes using the Visitor Employed Photography method. Profile of Mood States (POMS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to evaluate the psychological responses. Walking in the campus landscape resulted in a lower heart rate, less negative moods, and less anxiety than walking on the district road. Out of 837 photographs, 45% were taken from the Academic Event Plaza, 41.5% from the Arboretum, and the remaining 13.5% from district road, Jalan Raya Dramaga. Two main groups of campus green spaces included man-made landscape consisting of road surface, buildings, plant organs, stairs, and terrestrial plants; and natural landscape consisting of sky, trees, flowers, clouds, and plant community. This study found that walking in campus green space induced physiological and psychological health benefits and prominent landscape elements supported the green campus.

Tokiwadaira is one of the districts most populated by the elderly in Japan. This study compared the preferences of danchi and apartment residents to examine the neighbourhood park preferences as well as factors in park preferences. This research was conducted in three stages, including a spatial preference survey, analysis, and interpretation. Welch’s t-test and factor analysis were applied. Results demonstrated three significant differences between danchi and apartment residents, namely park preference, length of visit, and park elements. There were seven factors of park preferences. These results may help urban planners optimise existing features of neighbourhood parks to encourage use.Keywords: landscape preference; neighbourhood park; urban green space; green space management experience; exposure towards green spaceeISSN 2398-4295 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-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) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v4i16.178