PhD defence: Karin Kragsig Peschardt

Titel: Health Promoting Pocket Parks in a Landscape Architectural Perspective

Supervisor
Prof. Ulrika Stigsdotter, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Co-supervisor
Associate Prof. Jasper Schipperijn, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

Assessment committee
Dr. Jenny Roe, Senior research leader, Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, England
Prof. Patrik Grahn, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Prof. Gertrud Jørgensen (chair), Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract
This thesis presents how the health potential of pocket parks can be improved through design from a landscape architectural perspective. In developed countries, the densification of cities is a wide-spread tendency which often results in a compact city planning structure. People who live in dense cities have become detached from nature and live most of their daily life indoors where sedentary work and physical inactivity characterise everyday life. It has been suggested that this inactivity has resulted in a rapid increase in a number of lifestyle diseases. Urban green spaces (UGS) have been shown to have a positive influence on preventing lifestyle related diseases, although only limited research suggests how the various green spaces in the urban green infrastructure (UGI) can benefit health. Especially knowledge about the role of pocket parks is lacking.

The study evaluates the health promoting potential of nine pocket parks in Copenhagen. From a landscape architectural perspective the health potential is investigated based on both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study elucidates use, the restorative potential as well as how physical content within the pocket parks can contribute to the health promoting effect. The results from this thesis add knowledge to future evidence based health design processes of health promoting pocket parks.