En France, les espaces boisés périurbains font l'objet d'une forte demande sociale en tant qu'espaces récréatifs. Ces nouvelles demandes sont exprimées notamment par des pratiques renouvelées,sportives ou de ressourcement. De leur côté, les collectivités territoriales ont su aménager de nouveaux espaces forestiers plus proches des villes, très appréciés des habitants. Des usagers ont été interviewés dans les espaces boisés de trois villes moyennes, sur leurs usages et sur la justification de ces pratiques. Cela a permis de préciser des différences entre les espaces boisés suburbains et les forêts domaniales plus vastes mais plus éloignées des villes. De même, on observe l'émergence d’un nouvel usage lié à la santé, tant au niveau des individus qu’au niveau des établissements de soins.Ces nouvelles pratiques conduisent à considérer les espaces forestiers périurbains comme des espaces prophylactiques. / In France and in Europe, periurban forests are subject to high social demands for recreationalpurposes. These demands take the form of frequent visits for sports or rest. Local governmentshave succeeded in creating new wooded parks close to cities that are highly appreciated by thepopulation. A survey was run on visitors to forests around three mid-sized cities, addressingwhat they do in the forests and why. The answers revealed differences between suburban parksand larger national forests located farther from the cities. New approaches targeting health mayalso be observed on the part of both individuals and the health sector. These new approachesindicate the existence of a wellness function in periurban forests.

This thesis will study the resident’s perceptions of a community park in the new urbanism community of Mt Laurel, Alabama by evaluating the thirteen principles established by William Hollingsworth Whyte for creating successful urban parks. The thirteen principles established by Whyte for creating successful spaces are: •The parks proximity/relationship to the street •Location of the sidewalks to the street •Its ability to consistently sustain a constant flow of people through its boundaries •Its amount of defined spaces rather than large open spaces •Its amount of sitable space, in terms of ledges, steps, planters, chairs etc. •The parks sense of security among its users •The incorporation of water features within the parks boundaries •The extent of tree canopies within the park for shading purposes •The availability of food concessions •The parks number of waste receptacles •Routine performers •Outdoor cafes in the park •Occasional art and music exhibits