Sustainability Exploring individuals’ well-being visiting urban and peri-urban green areas: a quantile regression approach

Environmental conditions affect the individuals’ quality of life as well as physical, psychological and social well-being. Green areas play a key role in improving well-being perceived by the citizens in urban contexts. The direct and indirect experience with nature helps to reduce psychophysical stress, induces positive emotions, and facilitates renewal of cognitive resources. An example of this is represented by Pinus pinea L. (Italian stone pine) forests located within or around urban areas. These pinewoods were originally diffused in Mediterranean region to produce wood, pine kernels for alimentary purposes and - in coastal areas - to protect dunes and agricultural territories. However, land use change and coastal urbanization modified their principal functions: while productive function has been gradually reduced, they become important elements of the urban landscape contributing to human well-being with a wide range of cultural services. With increasing interest in the use of urban green space to promote human health, it is interesting to analyze if and to what extent different natural settings, as well as restoration components influence well-being by disentangling the effect on physical and psychological benefits. The aim of this paper is to explore the effect of experience variables and restoration components on individuals’ physical and psychological wellbeing. A quantile regression approach was used for data analysis. This approach allows us to understand what happens throughout the entire distribution of psychological and physical well-being reported by visitors of pinewoods and, in particular, at its extremes. Our results show that the effect of the selected covariates is different both throughout the distribution of the dependent variable and between psychological and physical subjective well-being.