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Rita Berto. It is undeniable that Nature has to be restorative to restore attention, otherwise the effect is unreliable. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2020, 71, 101495 .
AMA StyleRita Berto. It is undeniable that Nature has to be restorative to restore attention, otherwise the effect is unreliable. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2020; 71 ():101495.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRita Berto. 2020. "It is undeniable that Nature has to be restorative to restore attention, otherwise the effect is unreliable." Journal of Environmental Psychology 71, no. : 101495.
The literature highlights the importance of vegetation to enhance the ecological and visual qualities of streets and paths; however, when studies specifically focus on rural greenways they do not consider users’ assessments of the planting design. This exploratory study aims to contribute to this issue. It is hypothesized that planting combinations characterized by greater variety and aesthetic flow may be more preferred and restorative. To this end, four virtual scenarios simulating bikers moving along a greenway at 25 km/h were created to find out the following: first, what kind of planting combination is the most preferred, and second, which planting combination is perceived as the most restorative by bicycle riders. To assess the experience, subjects were administered a questionnaire made up of: (i) the Perceived Restorativeness Scale-11 with additional items to assess compatibility, familiarity, and preference; (ii) a list of physical and aesthetic attributes; and (iii) information on bicycle use. The results show that participants’ preferences were affected by the perception of the scenario’s restorative value, which was not given exclusively by the degree of naturalness, but by the opportunity the greenway offered to engage in social/physical activities. This study shows that preference and restorativeness are not a “simple” matter of quantity of vegetation, but of quality instead, i.e., planting variety. Designers have to consider that the restorative value of greenways is related to the opportunities they offer to engage in physical/social activities.
Natalia Fumagalli; Matteo Maccarini; Roberto Rovelli; Rita Berto; Giulio Senes. An Exploratory Study of Users’ Preference for Different Planting Combinations along Rural Greenways. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2120 .
AMA StyleNatalia Fumagalli, Matteo Maccarini, Roberto Rovelli, Rita Berto, Giulio Senes. An Exploratory Study of Users’ Preference for Different Planting Combinations along Rural Greenways. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (5):2120.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatalia Fumagalli; Matteo Maccarini; Roberto Rovelli; Rita Berto; Giulio Senes. 2020. "An Exploratory Study of Users’ Preference for Different Planting Combinations along Rural Greenways." Sustainability 12, no. 5: 2120.
This study investigates the relationship between the level to which a person feels connected to Nature and that person’s ability to perceive the restorative value of a natural environment. We assume that perceived restorativeness may depend on an individual’s connection to Nature and this relationship may also vary with the biophilic quality of the environment, i.e., the functional and aesthetic value of the natural environment which presumably gave an evolutionary advantage to our species. To this end, the level of connection to Nature and the perceived restorativeness of the environment were assessed in individuals visiting three parks characterized by their high level of “naturalness” and high or low biophilic quality. The results show that the perceived level of restorativeness is associated with the sense of connection to Nature, as well as the biophilic quality of the environment: individuals with different degrees of connection to Nature seek settings with different degrees of restorativeness and biophilic quality. This means that perceived restorativeness can also depend on an individual’s “inclination” towards Nature.
Rita Berto; Giuseppe Barbiero; Pietro Barbiero; Giulio Senes. An Individual’s Connection to Nature Can Affect Perceived Restorativeness of Natural Environments. Some Observations about Biophilia. Behavioral Sciences 2018, 8, 34 .
AMA StyleRita Berto, Giuseppe Barbiero, Pietro Barbiero, Giulio Senes. An Individual’s Connection to Nature Can Affect Perceived Restorativeness of Natural Environments. Some Observations about Biophilia. Behavioral Sciences. 2018; 8 (3):34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRita Berto; Giuseppe Barbiero; Pietro Barbiero; Giulio Senes. 2018. "An Individual’s Connection to Nature Can Affect Perceived Restorativeness of Natural Environments. Some Observations about Biophilia." Behavioral Sciences 8, no. 3: 34.
Physical settings can play a role in coping with stress; in particular experimental research has found strong evidence between exposure to natural environments and recovery from physiological stress and mental fatigue, giving support to both Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory. In fact, exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments. Natural places that allow the renewal of personal adaptive resources to meet the demands of everyday life are called restorative environments. Natural environments elicit greater calming responses than urban environments, and in relation to their vision there is a general reduction of physiological symptoms of stress. Exposure to natural scenes mediates the negative effects of stress reducing the negative mood state and above all enhancing positive emotions. Moreover, one can recover the decrease of cognitive performance associated with stress, especially reflected in attention tasks, through the salutary effect of viewing nature. Giving the many benefits of contact with nature, plans for urban environments should attend to restorativeness.
Rita Berto. The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness. Behavioral Sciences 2014, 4, 394 -409.
AMA StyleRita Berto. The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness. Behavioral Sciences. 2014; 4 (4):394-409.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRita Berto. 2014. "The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness." Behavioral Sciences 4, no. 4: 394-409.