Academic Greenspace and Well-Being — Can Campus Landscape be Therapeutic? Evidence from a German University

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of green spaces as health-promoting campus environments. Our study of a campus green space at the University of Bonn, Germany, is one of the first attempts to quantify health-promoting effects of Academic Greenspace among students, adding to our understanding of how green spaces can serve as everyday therapeutic landscapes. We take a closer look at the interlinkages between students’ perceptions of their health and physical, social and mental well-being in place and academic space. We focus on identity-creating elements, personal experiences, emotional bonding, subjective symbolic meanings, and social interaction. Based on our study results, a Healthy Academic Greenspace Framework (HAGF) was developed to reveal the processes by which Academic Greenspace becomes an important health resource on campus for many students. As a facilitator for recreation and attention restoration, as a place of identity as well as a place of social encounter and exchange, Academic Greenspace is meaningful as a place for experiencing everyday life with the potential to support healthy campus planning.

Keywords

• Greenspace
• Health perception
• Health promotion
• Healthy Academic Greenspace Framework
• Place identity
• Social interaction