Perceptual and physiological reactions to fractal properties in environments
Caroline Hägerhäll (project leader)
Summary of results with list of publications from Landscape Planning, SLU.
Email: Caroline.Hagerhall@lpal.slu.se
Many shapes in nature have fractal geometry, i.e. an enlarged detail has the same statistical character as the whole.
The visual impression we have of nature has for a long time interested researchers in environmental psychology. When test subjects are asked which environments they prefer, pictures of nature are rated higher than pictures of built environments. It has also been shown that looking at nature can reduce stress reactions and can improve concentration capacity. But what is nature and what is built environment is often based on broad appraisals. Few experiments have been made to find if there is any measurable characteristic in nature that may be linked to psychological and physiological effects. Many shapes in nature have fractal geometry, i.e. an enlarged detail has the same statistical character as the whole. The hypothesis on which this study is based is that it is the fractal characteristics of a pattern that determine the visual perception and the influence on stress.
One important characteristic of a fractal is that the same pattern is repeated when it is viewed under increasing magnification. This self-similarity between different scales of the pattern can be measured and defined. Owing to its structure, a fractal combines diversity with predictability, which may explain why nature is fascinating and, at the same time, it does not require any effort to absorb its information. Exposure to natural environments therefore helps recover the ability to focus attention and lower physiological stress.
Plants and planting designs for dynamic urban vegetation systems and structures
Roland Gustavsson (project leader)
Summary of results with list of publications from Landscape Planning, SLU.
Email: Roland.Gustavsson@ltj.slu.se
The aim of this project is to develop new planting design concepts in urban environments, by merging landscape architecture and ecology in a new way. A changed climate also involves risks to indigenous plant species, which presents researchers with new challenges. There is a need for plant material of greater variety, a more robust plant community and a planting design concept which includes field layers. The basis of the work was that the use of plants in an increasingly urban society is tending towards more complex, dynamc solutions with a system oriented plant combination and management which is based on increased knowledge of the relationships among architecture, plant ecology, natural strategies and development. The interactions of indigenous plants as the basis for human experiences also demand greater knowledge.
The experiments have attracted great international attention and, through this project, it is now possible to see examples at full scale and to compare Scandinavian, East Asian and North American examples in the landscape laboratory at Alnarp. What is perhaps most innovative is the addition of a field layer in urban planning, with the establishment of herbs, grass, bamboo and ferns, with compost soil and newspaper pages as weed barrier.
The changed outdoor open space. Trends regarding the residential open space in residential areas from the 1990s
Eva Kristensson (project leader)
Doctoral thesis "Residential courtyards – living room, play area, meeting place and a view" (Ed: My Laurell) Formas online bookshop (ISBN 978-91-540-5984-3).
Email: Eva.Kristensson@arkitektur.lth.se
A place for children in the city?
Together with restricted open spaces and higher land prices in central and near-central positions, there are a number of factors which give rise to changes in the outdoor environment near residential buildings. The aim of this study is to describe and discuss these new conditions for the outdoor environment.
The beginning of the nineties represented a turning point for the boom years of the eighties. Ongoing construction projects were completed, and there was a sharp decline in production. Construction in the nineties is characterised by caution and by smaller infill projects. However, the outdoor environments of the nineties exhibit large variation. The large variation in planning patterns is accompanied by variation in the disposition of the outdoor environment. Some courtyards conform to the dominant postwar model, with place for play and recreation, while others have a lavish and representative character.
The Planning and Building Act of 1987 placed the responsibility for the standard of the outdoor environment on municipalities and property developers, and if there was no great municipal commitment, the quality of the outdoor environment was separately defined in each individual project. This can explain the large variation regarding building density, courtyard types and the quality of the outdoor environment. It also appears that there is no general approach as to what a residential courtyard is and what it should contain.
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