The purpose of the study was to investigate whether being with rabbits affected the well-being of the elderly. Well-being was measured using a quantitative questionnaire answered by caregivers in a somatic home for the elderly, which was divided into two groups: an experimental group (n=5) and a control group (n=5). A Wilcoxon Ranked Sign test showed a significant (p=,043) increase in the well-being of the experimental group, after the rabbits had been introduced to the elderly. Salutogenesis was used as a theoretic model for the significant increase in well-being through strengthened general resistance resources and a stronger sense of coherence. The biophilia hypothesis was used as a theoretic model to illustrate how contact with animals, in this case rabbits, can affect human well-being. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka om samvaro med kaniner påverkade äldres välbefinnande. Välbefinnandet mättes med hjälp av en kvantitativ enkät som besvarades av omsorgstagare på ett somatiskt boende för äldre, som delades in i två grupper: en experimentgrupp (n=5) och en kontrollgrupp (n=5). Ett Wilcoxon signed-rank test visade på en signifikant (p=,043) ökning av experimentgruppens välbefinnande, efter att kaninerna hade blivit introducerade på boendet. Salutogenes användes som förklaringsmodell till den signifikanta ökningen av välbefinnandet genom stärkta generella motståndsresurser och en starkare känsla av sammanhang. Biophiliahypotesen användes som förklaringsmodell för att belysa på vilket sätt kontakt med djur, i detta fall kaniner, kan påverka människors välbefinnande.

It has been observed in the past few years that a large number of migrants have arrived in Europe. The number of international students who come to Sweden each year is one of the most overlooked groups of immigrants. The immigrant students are experiencing difficulties in their health and wellbeing due to new country settlement challenges.Therefore, this study examines the relationship between immigrant students and their natural environments, focusing in particular on their wellbeing. In order to achieve this objective, a qualitative study of 11 semi structured interviews are conducted on two south Asian groups of immigrants studying in Gothenburg, Sweden.This study investigates how immigrant students cope with challenges in the host country by utilizing natural places. It also investigates how they can improve their psychological and emotional wellbeing by interacting with nature using biophilia and attention restoration theories.There are three primary domains in which immigrant students can establish meaningful relationships with nature and enhance their holistic wellbeing, according to the findings of this study. First, they can embrace nature by spending time in natural places every day. Second, they can participate in nature-based recreation that strengthens their connection with nature, helps them get ready for the challenges of living in a new country, and makes them feel healthy overall. Third, the bond they build with nature through daily interactions and outdoor recreation can improve their psychological and emotional wellbeing.

Doctor of Philosophy / Architects have long been focused on designing eco-friendly buildings, but there's a growing realization that focusing solely on energy efficiency isn't enough. Occupants spend the majority of their time indoors, and the quality of these indoor spaces profoundly impacts their well-being and productivity. Yet, often overlooked, are factors like lighting, air quality, and noise that can significantly affect how occupants feel and perform. With rising urbanization and recent experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of indoor environments, there's a renewed emphasis on user-centric design. Biophilic design, which incorporates elements of nature into buildings, has emerged as a promising approach to enhancing occupants' health, wellness, and well-being. Airflow, a critical aspect of biophilic design, plays a key role in creating healthier indoor spaces. This study aims to develop a prototype system that mimics natural airflow patterns indoors to promote occupants' health and well-being. By analyzing weather data, natural airflow features were identified and used to inform the design of a mechanical system. The goal is to create settings that replicate natural airflow patterns in indoor environments. Ultimately, this research lays the groundwork for future studies to explore how such biophilic systems impact occupants' physiological and psychological health. By prioritizing user experience in building design, indoor spaces that not only conserve energy but also enhance the quality of life could be developed.

In the past Man coinhabited harmoniously with nature only to have the balance disturbed with the advent of the Industrial Revolution replacing the green habitat with urban concrete settlements Consequently, the characteristics of the contemporary city pose a set of serious threat to man’s physical and mental health. Crowdedness, lack of apt infrastructure, pollution, noise pollution and rise in temperature are all contributing factors to the Man’s demised health and detachment from previous amicable coexistence with nature. For the past 30 years, extensive research has been conducted studying the correlation between man and nature, and nature’s impact on man’s health. The theory of “Biophilia,” by Edward, O. Wilson, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s “Attention Restorative Theory,” and Roger Ulrich’s “Stress Reduction Theory,” have been innovating and contributing towards gaining more understanding of the importance of a green environment in man’s everyday life. As a corollary the above-mentioned theories gave rise to the following quantitative study conducted over a 4-month period, including 81 respondents, in Spring 2020, focusing on whether a natural green environment in Sweden had impacted the mental and physical health in Greek immigrants to Sweden. The findings suggest that comparing the respondents’ life in Greece and respectively in Sweden there was indeed an improvement in the mood and health of the sample groups taking into consideration: how healthy they are, how healthy they feel, how happy they feel in relation to work, time spent in Sweden, marital status and of course the parameters that focus on the part of the natural environment at home and in their neighbourhood in Sweden. There seem to have been a statistically significant improvement in their health compared to when they lived in Greece but there is insufficient evidence to support that some of the parameters examined are responsible for this. Happiness on the other hand seem to possess a statistical important role due to their marital status among others along with the green surrounding environment having an impact on their mental well-being but not their physical health. Therefore, a more sustainable green environment seems to have impacted the overall psychological and physical state of the respondents, but further extensive research is recommended to investigate in depths others factors i.e., psychosomatics, environmental psychology along with nature related theories and studies.

Children meet adults dressed out in costumes in various situations. One of these characters is Skogsmulle in Friluftsfrämjandets outdoor education. Since the mid-1950´s Skogsmulle has been part of Swedish childhoods, and the concept has also spread to other countries around the world (C. Lindgren, 2021). The last decades forrest kindergartens and other kinds of preschools with focus on outdoor education flourishes around the world (Alme & Reime, 2021; Sobel, 2014), and some of them provides Skogsmulle activities. The purpose with the Skogsmulle outdoor activities is to learn about, and how to take care of nature in a playful way, and create opportunities for the children to bond with nature and strengthen their biophilia (Yılmaz m.fl., 2020; Änggård, 2009a). The aim of this study is to create knowledge about how children can experience situations when adults dress out as fictional characters, and what characterize their encounters with Skogsmulle in the forrest. Reception theory (Iser, 1980b; Rosenblatt, 2002) is used together with the concept of realunreality (A.-L. Lindgren m.fl., 2015) to explore what preschool children express and analyse the aesthetic response of the children. The method is qualitative case studies inspired by ethnographic design with observation and interviews. The result shows that children´s interpretation of fiction and reality is complex, and their encounters with Skogsmulle can be seen as an example of realunreality where the boundaries of real and unreal mingle (see A.-L. Lindgren m.fl., 2015). The children also becomes co-creators of the Skogsmulle story through their interactions, and creators of children´s culture (see Sparrman, 2011) as a response to the culture that the adults offers the children.

This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate how individuals perceive nature and engage with Texas state park (TSP) programs and resources while also identifying major barriers that visitors perceive/encounter when visiting TSPs. This study looks through the anthropological lens by using theoretical frameworks such as habitus, presentation of the social self, space and place, as well as communities of practice (CoP), to better understand the factors that influence the establishment and maintenance of an individual's relationship to nature and participation in related practices. This study illustrates how an individual's relationship to nature is influenced by experiences in early life that involve activities, landscape or bioregion, and social factors. Relationships with nature are strengthened through social support especially when CoPs are involved. By understanding park visitor experiences through motivations and limitations to participating in the outdoors, parks can expand engagement tactics, foster existing and create new CoP related to nature that aid in the introduction and adoption of outdoor learning and experiences creating lifelong stewards. The study offers recommendations on how TSPs can address visitor barriers and increase nature affinity with the use of targeted outreach and engagement methods through agency interpretive resources and programs with the goal of expanding the public's relationship with nature.

Les changements démographiques et climatiques que nous vivons actuellement mènent à de nouveaux défis pour les concepteurs du milieu bâti. La dégradation des systèmes naturels ainsi que la densification urbaine réduit les possibilités d’exposition au monde naturel des citadins. Des études empiriques ont démontré que cette exposition a un effet réparateur en contribuant à réduire notre stress et à augmenter notre niveau d’attention. C’est ce que nous nommons l’effet biophile. Quoiqu’encore à ses débuts, le domaine du design biophile cherche un appui scientifique pour promouvoir la réintégration de la nature en ville. L’objectif pratique de ce mémoire est de proposer une vision écosystémique aux concepteurs et décideurs, afin d’influencer le processus de design de nos villes. L’objectif académique est de contribuer aux données probantes dans le domaine de la conception biophile en milieu scolaire. Une approche de « design fondé sur les données probantes » est utilisée, afin d’infirmer un lien positif entre une exposition au monde naturel et le succès scolaire. Notre recherche est observationnelle, étant basée sur des conditions existantes et des données historiques. En caractérisant des expériences biophiles liées aux vues par les fenêtres des salles de classe, nous explorons leur rapport avec les résultats scolaires d’étudiants au niveau collégial. L’effet de ces expériences est modélisé par régression linéaire en utilisant des méthodes d’analyses quantitatives. Nos résultats initiaux démontrent que sous certaines conditions, il y a un effet biophile positif mesurable et légèrement significatif. En réduisant la portée au cours vision du monde, nos résultats subséquents indiquent que les étudiants réussissent mieux dans les salles de classe avec un plus haut degré biophile. Il en est de même pour les étudiants dans les salles de classe avec un plus grand pourcentage de fenêtres. Malgré ces résultats encourageants, nous ne sommes pas en mesure de dire que l’effet biophile est toujours présent ou même toujours positif dans un milieu d’enseignement. Il existe plusieurs opportunités de recherche dans ce domaine qui transcendent les simples résultats scolaires. / Climate change and demographic expansion have led to new challenges for design professionals. The degradation of our natural systems as well as urban densification reduce the opportunity for city dwellers to be exposed to the natural world. This exposure has been shown empirically to have a restorative effect by reducing stress and increasing attention. We call this the biophilic effect. Although still in its early stages, the field of biophilic design is using a scientific approach in an effort to green our cities. The practical objective of this research is to expose designers and administrators to an ecosystemic worldview that will hopefully impact their design and decision-making process. The academic objective is to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of biophilic design in academic environments. We use methods borrowed from ‘Evidence Based Design’ to test the hypothesis that the biophilic effect has a positive impact on college student performances. It is an observational study based on existing conditions and historical data. By characterising biophilic experiences linked to window views from the classrooms, we explore their impact on student grades. The biophilic effects are modelled using linear regression in a quantitative analysis. Our initial results indicate that in certain circumstances there is a measurable, slightly significant, positive biophilic effect. When focusing on the Worldview course, subsequent results show that students do better in a classroom with a higher degree of biophilic features. They also perform better in classrooms with larger or more windows. Although these results are encouraging, we are far from being able to state that a biophilic effect is always present or always positive in an educational setting. The are many research opportunities in this field that go well beyond simple performance outcomes.

Allt fler bor i urbana områden och vistas mindre ute i naturen. Samtidigt pågårklimatförändringar som bland annat påskyndas av att torrlagda våtmarker släpper utkoldioxid. Den här undersökningen utforskar hur miljöpedagoger arbetar med exkursionervid våtmarker för att stärka barns natursamhörighet, uppmärksamma våtmarkers värden, samthur exkursioner kan bidra i arbetet för Agenda 2030 och Sveriges miljömål gällandevåtmarker. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med miljöpedagoger samt observation av enexkursion vid en våtmark utfördes i undersökningen. Resultatet visar att exkursioner vidvåtmarker kan vara avgörande för barns natursamhörighet, barns förståelse för våtmarkersvärde, samt utvecklande av empatiska beteenden gentemot naturen. Under en exkursion vidvåtmarker får barn vara med och utför åtgärder för att skydda och bevara våtmarker, vilket ären viktig del för att uppnå Agenda 2030 och Sveriges miljömål. Trots att mänskligaaktiviteter vid våtmarker kan vara negativt för den biologiska mångfalden, är exkursionernödvändigt för det framtida arbetet för våtmarkers välstånd. Framtida forskning bör fokuserapå långsiktiga effekter på barn som kontinuerligt får komma ut på exkursioner inaturområden. / The number of people living in urban areas has increased significantly, and they spend lesstime in nature. At the same time climate change is taking place, which is being accelerated,among other things, by drained wetlands that emit carbon dioxide. This study explores howenvironmental educators work with excursions at wetlands to strengthen children's natureconnectedness, pay attention to the values of wetlands, and how excursions can contribute toreaching the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sweden's environmental goalsregarding wetlands. Semi-structured interviews with environmental educators and anobservation of an excursion to a wetland, were conducted in the study. The results show thatexcursions at wetlands can be crucial for children's nature connectedness, children'sunderstanding of the value of wetlands, and the development of empathic behaviors towardsnature. Through excursions at wetlands, children are involved with the wetlands andmeasures are taken to protect and preserve wetlands, which is an important part of achievingthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sweden's environmental goals. Althoughhuman activities in wetlands can be detrimental to biodiversity, excursions are necessary forfuture work on wetland prosperity. Future research should focus on long-term effects onchildren who are continuously on excursions in nature.

På grund av ökade klimatförändringar och dess påverkan på miljö och människors hälsa kommer klimatanpassningar i den urbana miljön bli allt mer nödvändigt för att mildra dess effekter. Vår studie fokuserar på hur synliga klimatanpassningar upplevs samt hur de kan påverka människors välbefinnande. Studien avgränsas till biofiltren på Neptunigatan i Malmö. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med människor som befann sig på platsen, vilka sedan analyserades i förhållande till tidigare forskning om miljöetiska värdegrunder, estetik, riskperception och psykisk hälsa. Resultatet visade att samtliga informanter var positivt inställda till klimatanpassningar och dess funktion, även om viss skepticism identifierades hos några av dem. Alla informanter kände någon typ av oro, ångest, stress eller annan negativ känsla kopplat till klimatförändringarna, vilket gör detta till ett viktigt område att studera. Enökad informationsspridning kring klimatanpassningar och klimatförändringar är därför viktig för att öka kunskapsnivån vilket i sin tur medför en mer positiv inställning till klimatanpassningar. / The magnitude of climate change is increasing, and is affecting the environment and people’s health. To mitigate these effects, climate adaptations in urban environments are necessary. The aim of this study is to examine how visible climate adaptations are perceived, and how they can promote well-being. The study is limited to the biofilters located on Neptunigatan in Malmö. We did qualitative interviews with people with a connection to the biofilters, andanalyzed the results in relation to our theoretical framework, which includes environmental ethical values, aesthetics, risk perception and mental health. The results showed that all informants had positive attitudes towards climate adaptations, although we identified some skeptical tendencies. All informants reported some kind of worry, anxiety, stress or other negative emotions in relation to climate change, which makes this an important study area. It is important to inform citizens about climate change and climate adaptations. Increased knowledge leads to a more positive attitude towards climate adaptations.

This thesis presents a field study examining the effect of the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme in Singapore on social capital. Based on a multi-disciplinary approach and following the theoretical framework of bonding and bridging social capital developed by Robert Putnam and others, three different cases of the ABC Programme were compared, looking particularly at the level of blue-green landscape integration. The three cases comprised the ABC flagship project ‘Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park’ with high level of blue-green integration as well as the green and the grey section of the Ulu Pandan Park Connector with medium and low level of blue-green integration, respectively. Quantitative data was obtained by counting the share of park users engaged in social interaction and by surveying 330 park users on the perceptions of social interaction and integration. In addition to the quantitative data, a total of 60 face-to-face interviews were carried out in the three park areas, providing an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of the surrounding areas. The study concludes that the ABC Waters Programme is a strong generator of social capital, offering an attractive place for social bonding and to some extent also for social bridging.