Tetiana Dovbischuk

Prior research shows a general tendency among city dwellers to prefer living in detached houses, ideally with a garden (cf. Coolen & Meesters, 2012; Dunse et al., 2013; Gawlak et al., 2021; Horňáko...

As urbanization progresses, urban stress has become an increasingly prominent concern, diminishing city residents’ well-being and overall quality of life. Responding to these challenges, nature-based solutions involving urban greenery have emerged as potential stress mitigators, providing respite from the demands of urban life. This paper examines the role of urban green space usage as compensatory strategy for traffic noise annoyance at home and the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in residents’ decision-making processes for relocations. The data for the analysis are drawn from a primary survey in two German cities, Cologne and Hamburg, encompassing 1,846 randomly selected respondents. The findings suggest that, particularly in the initial stages of considering relocation, individuals use urban green spaces to compensate for stressful circumstances. These green space compensation strategies may prevent individuals from progressing to subsequent stages of relocation decision-making, however, only under low-stress conditions. Recognizing the importance of urban green spaces in mitigating urban stress not only enhances the well-being of city dwellers but also improves understanding of effective strategies for planning resilient cities.

This book provides an analysis of nature satisfaction, nature relatedness, and the motivations for using urban green spaces. It explores the use of spaces such as parks, waterfronts, wooded areas, and fields among different life course phases and socio-economic classes. Through a detailed analysis of primary data from two major German cities, Cologne and Hamburg, the book examines the availability, use, and satisfaction with urban green spaces and provides insights into the predictors of nature satisfaction in an urban context. The book also combines the subjective assessments of the respondents with objective data. It considers the varying reliance on urban green spaces due to the availability of private green spaces and individual nature relatedness. It provides insights on the needs of different population groups in cities, providing a scientific basis for improving or implementing green space planning approaches. This book will be of interest to researchers in sociology, urban studies, public health, environmental studies, and human geography.

This chapter provides an overview of previous research that has examined satisfaction with nature, both as a predictor of well-being and as an outcome itself. It highlights the relative scarcity of studies that investigate the precise predictors that contribute to nature satisfaction. The chapter focuses on the analysis of important aspects that might influence nature satisfaction in urban areas, such as access to public green spaces, availability of private green spaces or shared green yards, sociodemographic characteristics, housing composition, and neighbourhood reputation. The chapter examines the impact of urban green spaces – such as parks, waterfronts, woodlands, and fields – on nature satisfaction, particularly considering differences across life course phases and socio-economic classes. The life course phases considered are young adult, family, midlife, and senior phases. The socio-economic classes include higher-grade professionals, lower-grade professionals, routine sales and service workers, and blue-collar workers.

This chapter presents findings on the availability and use of common urban green spaces such as parks, waterfronts, woodlands, and fields. It analyses the motives for using these types of green spaces across different life course phases and socio-economic classes. The life course phases considered are young adult, family, midlife, and senior phases. The socio-economic classes include higher-grade professionals, lower-grade professionals, routine sales and service workers, and blue-collar workers. Additionally, this chapter examines the extent to which the use of public green spaces varies for urban dwellers without private green spaces. It also explores the average duration of visits to urban green spaces by the above groups. Furthermore, objective data based on the geocoded addresses of the respondents are used to compare the subjective responses of the respondents with the objective measurements, to see if both data types yield comparable results.

The objective of this chapter is to review existing research on the importance of green spaces in urban residential environments for well-being and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, residential satisfaction, and social cohesion. Numerous studies have shown that green, natural environments consistently have more positive effects on overall well-being and its various sub-domains compared to urban environments. These benefits include increased happiness, positive emotions, attention recovery, higher residential satisfaction, and faster physical recovery. The chapter highlights the importance of considering how the availability of green space in the neighbourhood is measured, distinguishing between objective measures of green space based on statistical geodata and subjective assessments by respondents. It also reviews previous research on the relevance of green spaces across different life course phases and socio-economic classes.

This introduction presents the relevance of natural environments and urban green spaces for the well-being of city dwellers and its various sub-domains. It provides an overview of the key issues discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The main aim of the book is to analyse the use preferences of different population groups for urban green spaces and the relevance of these green spaces for the satisfaction with nature in cities. Through a detailed analysis of primary data from two major German cities, Cologne and Hamburg, the book examines the availability, use, and satisfaction with urban green spaces and provides insights into the predictors of nature satisfaction in an urban context. The book also combines the subjective assessments of the respondents with objective data. In addition, the book considers the varying reliance on urban green spaces due to the availability of private green spaces and individual nature relatedness.

This chapter outlines the relevance of considering nature relatedness in research on the influence of environmental factors, such as green spaces, on well-being outcomes. It provides an overview of previous research that has examined nature relatedness both as a predictor of well-being sub-domains and as an outcome itself. The chapter also discusses different methodological approaches to measuring nature relatedness and the related concept of connectedness to nature. It considers three components of nature relatedness: the affective or emotional aspect, the cognitive or mental aspect, and the conative or action-oriented aspect. The chapter also emphasises the importance of capturing the role of childhood nature experiences in shaping adult perceptions of the natural environment. In addition, the chapter provides an analysis of nature relatedness across different life course phases and socio-economic classes within the sample. The life course phases considered are young adult, family, midlife, and senior phases. The socio-economic classes include higher-grade professionals, lower-grade professionals, routine sales and service workers, and blue-collar workers.

This chapter summarises key findings from the book’s analyses on the motivations for using public green spaces in cities, such as parks, waterfronts, woodlands, and fields, across life course phases and socio-economic classes. The life course phases considered are young adult, family, midlife, and senior phases. The socio-economic classes are higher-grade professionals, lower-grade professionals, routine sales and service workers, and blue-collar workers. The chapter also provides an overview of the key predictors of nature satisfaction across these groups. The chapter emphasises the relevance of distinguishing among different types of urban green spaces and population groups, as the use preferences and the importance of different types of green spaces for overall nature satisfaction vary across both life course phases and socio-economic classes.