Urban Design Dimensions of a Restorative University Campus from the Perspective of Students

Ghodosian, Masume; Hakimian, Pantea

doi:10.48311/UDD.6.1.1

Urban Design Dimensions of a Restorative University Campus from the Perspective of Students

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

M. Ghodosian ¹

P. Hakimian ²

¹ Student of Urban design, Shahid Beheshti University, Department of urban and regional planning and design.

² Assistant professor, Shahid Beheshti University, Department of Urban and regional planning and design

https://doi.org/10.48311/UDD.6.1.1

Abstract

Students on university campuses constantly encounter a variety of teaching and learning environments in addition to a range of difficulties, such as social and academic demands that are detrimental to their mental and physical well-being. This issue is heightened by the significance of creating healthy and restorative areas in universities to lower stress levels and restore concentration for more effective studying. The present research therefore aims to explore the students’ needs and preferences for restorative areas in the Faculty of Science at Ferdowsi University Campus in Mashhad, as well as to develop a conceptual framework demonstrating key urban design components of a restorative university campus. The present research is qualitative. 33 students from Ferdowsi University`s Faculty of Sciences participated in the structured interviews to collect data, which was then analyzed utilizing a qualitative content analysis of the conducted interviews. The study`s findings demonstrate that, from the students' viewpoint, the university campus environment has been restored through the following qualities: serene and refuge, walkability, high-quality public space, linkage to nature, coherence and extent, compatibility, and sociability. Therefore, there is a spatial component to health, and students` mental restoration can be aided by being in open and semi-open places near natural features like trees, plants, and other qualities of urban design that promote health.

Keywords

University campus

Restorative environments

Nature

Urban Design

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Subjects

City and Health

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