The psychological effect of plants on the well-being of people : a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Diploma of Landscape Architecture in the University of Canterbury [Lincoln College]

Abstract

Landscape Architecture is a discipline whose basic aim may be defined as the act of arranging land and the objects upon it for human use and enjoyment. Utilising both the arts and sciences in planning, design and management of the landscape. This suggests that landscape architecture operates in the realm of "people nature" relationships.

An arbitrary division of people/nature is reinforced in this technocratic age of the megalopolis where the power of people to contest, conquer, dominate and remodel vast tracts of wilderness can be seen in the urbanisation and manipulated landscapes of today.

It is at this time of rapidly diminishing natural settings that we see a growing concern for environmental issues with much study devoted to nature and people and documentation on the surcease sought through more intimate contact with areas of naturalness particularly greenness.

Greenness, vegetation, plants are considered one of the basic materials of the landscape architect, the "software" as opposed to the structural components of building and engineering or "hardware". Plants have blanketed much of the landscape and are thus a universal resource. The use of plants by the landscape architect should match an understanding of what they achieve and should not be based merely on assumptions and personal appreciation. Establishment of principles and guidelines for judgements about the value of the landscape other than for physically supplying human needs is required and a useful categorisation of approaches to plant use with respect to landscape would be beneficial.

Landscape architecture has appeared to accentuate in its site planning, masterplanning, landplanning, environmental engineering and landscape management the visual appeal. Visual perception as a subject has attracted a plethora of literature and is considered the sense most relied upon by people. It is not, however, the only way in which people gather information from their environment. Indeed other forms of sensory reception:- hearing smell taste and touch are all important in shaping behavioural responses.

These sensations cannot be studied independently of perception, cognition and other aspects of human experience which lend to memories, associations and influence emotions.

Design, in order to be successful, must take into account the individually learnt conditioning of a person encountering dynamic system of stimulus. It must also recognise culturally and socially imbued and genetically inherited conditioning.

Psychology studying behavioural responses of the individual or group may proffer a crucial understanding of the people nature transaction and provide a theoretical base upon which to found plant use.

The direct effect plants have on humans is that humans can see, smell, hear and be touched by plants. Through the senses there is an experience and experience is gained through and adds to perception. If we accept that perception is not just neutral then the presence of plants could be an influencing factor to well-being and the absence of plants could be a contributing factor to ill-being. There is an effect quite beyond the direct sensing which, arising from experience and a persons background and nature, is psychological and can be gauged.