Livable Cities - London AMPS | City, University of London Page 275 LOOSE-PARTS THEORY-BASED ANALYSIS OF URBAN SMALL-SCALE BIOPHILIC SPACES AND RESIDENT'S NATURAL CONTACT ACTIVITIES Author: LINGQING ZHANG, JING YAN, LILI ZHANG Affiliation: SICHUAN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, CHINA INTRODUCTION In 2022, more than half of the world's population lived in urban regions. By 2050, over 75% of the world's population is estimated to live in cities.1 So, more and more people have less chance to be in contact with nature due to the continuous expansion of urban areas2 which leads to sustainability challenges affecting the environment, mental well-being and the society.3 To prevent urban residents from gradually becoming alienated from nature, leading to issues like the loss of natural experiences and nature-deficit disorder, cities need to provide more opportunities for urban residents to connect with nature. Biophilic urbanism emphasizes the creation of more and better biophilic spaces with a sense of place through ecological restoration and nature-friendly design.4 Academic research on nature contact has focused on three main areas: the characteristics of different types of nature contact, the measurement of differences in their effects, and biophilic design.5 Types of nature contact can be classified according to an individual's life course into past and current contact; based on the mode of contact into direct contact, indirect contact, and symbolic contact; and according to the level of intentionality into incidental, accidental, and deliberate contact.6 Some studies classify nature contact based on life contexts into everyday life scenarios and tourism scenarios, and further propose a theoretical framework called the "nature pyramid."7 The above classifications are mainly from an objective perspective. However, recent research attempts to introduce embodiment theory, classifying nature contact based on human sensory experiences, including the five senses and holistic experiences. This type of research can better measure the individuals' subjective feelings.8 Secondly, research on the effects of natural contact often focuses on its connection and benefits. It explores which types of nature contact can foster better connections with nature and generate more benefits. At least 16 different scales are used to assess the human-nature relationship. These measurement scales assess indicators from emotional, cognitive, and behavioural aspects.9 The benefits of nature contact primarily include: improved mental health,10 physical health benefits,11 enhanced cognitive function,12 social advantages,13 developmental benefits for children,14 and increased environmental awareness.15 Building on the aforementioned research, studies in biophilic design delve deeper into the fundamental principles of biophilia, exploring why human beings need to connect with nature, identifying the types of natural elements that are most beneficial, and determining how spatial planning and design can enhance the effectiveness of these nature connections.16
