STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND USE OF URBAN CAMPUS GREEN SPACES: HOW THE UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN'S GREEN SPACE AT THE BRAYFORD POOL CAMPUS COULD BE IMPROVED USING ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY, STRESS REDUCTION THEORY AND PLACE ATTACHMENT THEORY

In hindsight of COVID-19, urban green spaces have received increased recognition for their restorative effects in combatting stress, poor mental health, and attention fatigue. Whilst more research is moving away from quantity and availability of urban green space to also consider green space quality, deeper understandings of what makes a high quality and useable green space to different demographics is needed. This thesis aims to enrich and contribute to academic debates in this field with a focus on university campus green space and higher education students as users, drawing upon attention restoration theory, stress reduction theory and place attachment theory. A mixed methods approach in the form of a questionnaire was used to explore student perceptions and use of 13 different green space sites on a university campus, with students preferring campus green spaces that are located near main university building and those that are more plentiful in natural elements. Specifically, students viewed trees, flowers, and wildlife critical to the development of campus green space suggesting that universities and urban planners should design campus green spaces to better align with the multiple needs of green space users in terms of mental wellbeing and biodiversity. This research provides new empirical evidence and theoretical insights into wider academic debates surrounding the growing disconnect between urban residents and nature and the identification of key aspects of urban campus green spaces which makes them attractive to intended users.