Legacy or Lifestyle Driver: A London Study of Healing Space in Contemporary Urban Environments

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that urban green space has superior benefits for human health on healing and restoration. Inherited with the Post-Garden City legacy that created “the marriage of town and countryside” for health and livability, London has become one of the greenest cities in the world where gardens and parks greatly involved in daily life. The authors conducted an empirical study in central and suburban London to investigate the quality of built environment, user attitude and healing perception by objective assessment and subjective survey. With a special attention to the sensorial dimension of healing perception, this paper aims to reinterpret the transition of healing space in the contemporary context and investigate the key criteria for healing performance promotion. Finally, a framework is conceptualized as an attempt to enhance healing efficacy in urban green space design.

Keywords

Health / Livability / Healing Space / Perception / London

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2016 Higher Education Press