Ecological Indicators (Apr 2021)
Urban green space in India: Perception of cultural ecosystem services and psychology of situatedness and connectedness
Abstract
Nature or more specifically ecosystem provides a range of services regarding economic benefits, improving air quality as well as enhancing physical, social well-being and also mental health. Today, with the increasing complexity in urban life, most of the urbanites are experiencing significantly lower levels of daily contact with nature than the parent generation. As a matter of fact, people are suffocating in their daily life and in a state of mental muddled for which they frequently urge for nature connectedness through outing to get read of this hectic urban life. Hence, for the present study, the possible ways of exposure to nature has been considered within the city and its impact on social life and psychological behaviour. In a rapidly transforming city space and city life, the incorporation of nature within the urban areas largely depends on to what extent people are willing to build up and enjoy green space. To portray the underlying canvas, presence of nature and its cognitive reflection in a city two kinds of situational environment are taken into consideration: Study site-1:very close to nature that normally precludes possibility of physical and psychological attachment towards nature while the other i.e., Study site-2: a busy urban environment away from nature where people show more interest for beautification of the surroundings as they are accustomed with materialistic life rather than natural set up. Therefore, quantitative assessment is ascribed through factorial ecology in understanding the importance of green space for cultural ecosystem services. The analysis is further accentuated to find out the behavioural response of two different sites through weighted measures and subsequent regression analysis as well as narrative analysis in analysing human psychology in the context of fondness of nature or Biophilia.
