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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The WHO estimates that, with the development of urbanization, 25% of the population is suffering from psychological and mental distress. Preliminary evidence has suggested that aquatic environments and riparian areas, i.e., waterscapes, can benefit psychological and mental wellbeing. The aim of this study was to identify the processes of waterscape psychological and mental health promotion through aliterature review. We propose a design framework of waterscapes for achieving psychological and mental health in the general population that often visits waterscapes, which has the function of therapeutic landscapes through values of accessibility, versatility, habitats, and biodiversity. According to theories, waterscapes can improve psychological and mental health to divert negative emotions through mitigation (e.g., reduced urban heat island), instoration (e.g., physical activity and state of nature connectedness), and restoration (e.g., reduced anxiety/attentional fatigue). By accessing water (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and the coast) and riparian areas, people can get in close contact with nature and spend more time in activities (e.g., walking, exploring, talking, and relaxing). Waterscapes with healing effects can enhance psychological resilience to promote people’s psychological and mental health. Future research should focus on ensuring an adequate supply of waterscapes and promoting the efficiency of waterscape ecosystem services on mental health. Moreover, fora deep understanding of the complexity of nature–human health associations, it is necessary to explore more consistent evidence for therapeutic waterscapes considering the characteristics and functional mechanisms of waterscape quality, in terms of freshness, luminescence, rippling or fluidity, and cultural value, to benefit public health and biodiversity conservation.

Details

Title
Waterscapes for Promoting Mental Health in the General Population
Author
Zhang, Xindi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zhang, Yixin 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zhai, Jun 3 ; Wu, Yongfa 4 ; Mao, Anyuan 3 

 Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; [email protected] (X.Z.); [email protected] (J.Z.); [email protected] (A.M.) 
 Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; [email protected] (X.Z.); [email protected] (J.Z.); [email protected] (A.M.); China-Portugal Belt and Road Cooperation Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, Research Center of Landscape Protection and Ecological Restoration, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; [email protected]; Collaborative Innovation Center of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University-Suzhou Yuanke, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China 
 Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; [email protected] (X.Z.); [email protected] (J.Z.); [email protected] (A.M.); Collaborative Innovation Center of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University-Suzhou Yuanke, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China 
 China-Portugal Belt and Road Cooperation Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, Research Center of Landscape Protection and Ecological Restoration, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; [email protected]; Collaborative Innovation Center of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University-Suzhou Yuanke, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China 
First page
11792
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2602077001
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.