Keep Calm and Go Out: Urban Nature Exposure, Mental Health, and Perceived Value during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Argyro Anna Kanelli, Margarita Kokkinaki, Marios-Dimitrios Sinvare, Chrysovalantis Malesios, Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos and Olga-Ioanna Kalantzi ()
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Argyro Anna Kanelli: Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Margarita Kokkinaki: Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Marios-Dimitrios Sinvare: Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos: Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Olga-Ioanna Kalantzi: Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of incorporating nature-based solutions in urban design, in order to create sustainable and resilient cities. Inspired by these events, the present study aims at exploring the mental health benefits of nature exposure during the outbreak. Secondarily, we investigate changes in use patterns towards urban green spaces (UGS) and urban blue spaces (UBS) and whether extreme conditions, such as these of a lockdown, can lead to an increase in people’s appreciation of urban nature. Through an online survey, we observed that the pandemic resulted in a decrease in the frequency of visitation to UGS/UBS ( p < 0.001). Significant differences were found for exercise ( p < 0.001) and socialization ( p < 0.05) as main drivers for visiting urban nature pre- and post-lockdown. Accordingly, visitation rates for forests ( p < 0.05), playgrounds ( p < 0.001), and the sea ( p < 0.001) differed significantly when comparing the two periods. In people’s perception, UGS/UBS are important for the urban fabric (89%). Our structural equation model indicated that nature exposure had a beneficial effect on participants’ mental health ( p < 0.001). Pathways that explain the relationship between nature exposure and post- lockdown value were nature relatedness, motivation, and perceived importance of UGS/UBS. No mediation could be extracted for nature exposure and mental health. Our findings show the positive association between nature exposure and mental health improvement, especially in times of crisis, as well as a shift in the “value domain” towards urban nature.

Keywords: urban green spaces; urban blue spaces; COVID-19; perceived value; structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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