Investigation of the impact of visiting urban green spaces on wellbeing of residents

Abstract

The aim of the research was to evaluate the correlation between green spaces and wellbeing of residents. To achieve the aim a questionnaire survey method was used. Over 60% of all respondents were the residents of the two largest cities of Lithuania. It was found out that the residents of Lithuania visited urban green spaces irregularly. The frequency of visiting green spaces depended on the season. About 30% of respondents visited urban green spaces four times a week or more often in summer, and 17.4% of the respondents visited urban green spaces once a month in winter. The residents spent about 1–3 hours in green spaces during one visit. About 30% of respondents lived at a distance of 50–300 m to the nearest green space. About 21.5% of respondents had an opportunity to visit urban green spaces on a daily basis. Visiting of urban green spaces was closely linked to the negative assessment of the respondents’ wellbeing, in particular with ailments due to back and spinal pains, increased irritation and nutritional disorders. Those respondents who evaluated their wellbeing more negatively, tended to visit urban green spaces more often.