The Importance of Outdoor Spaces during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Aotearoa—New Zealand

Bruno Marques, Jacqueline McIntosh, Chitrakala Muthuveerappan and Krzysztof Herman
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Bruno Marques: Wellington School of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Jacqueline McIntosh: Wellington School of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Chitrakala Muthuveerappan: Wellington School of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Krzysztof Herman: Wellington School of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its extensive variants have caused drastic changes to people’s habits and routines in many countries worldwide, including Aotearoa—New Zealand. The levels of lockdown and/or movement limitations affected how people used outdoor spaces, often keeping them away from nature’s benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures adopted to control it provide an interesting experiment investigating the links between nature exposure, recreational use of outdoor spaces, and people’s health and wellbeing under extreme conditions. Using an online survey distributed during lockdown and based on 212 responses, this article explores the different typologies of the outdoor spaces that people had access to during lockdown and the associated physical activities practised. It investigates how outdoor space affects our emotional response and how such space and related activities can help us cope with confinement. The results of this study enable us to better understand those spatial elements and characteristics of outdoor spaces that are essential to people’s wellbeing, especially in unusual circumstances where access is restricted.

Keywords: Coronavirus; COVID-19; nature; outdoor spaces; green-blue infrastructure; health and wellbeing; recreation; lockdown; landscape architecture; urban design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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