ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the most recent research about the mental health consequences of living in urban areas and how powerful urban green spaces can be to mitigate these effects. This therapeutic power of nature has been established by years of research and there are several existing theories: Attention Restoration Theory, Stress Reduction Theory, Biophilia Hypothesis, Fractal Geometry Theory. However, to inform the practice of landscape design, there is a need for a more fine-grained approach than what is devised by existing theories – a need to define exactly which features of the natural environment make it therapeutic.
