ABSTRACT
Urban greenspaces are very important for residents’ physical and mental health (Sugiyama and Ward Thompson 2008; Maas et al. 2006; van den Berg et al. 2010; Roy et al. 2012; Buchecker and Degenhardt 2015; Strandell and Hall 2015). Walking in such areas can be described by the term “soft fascination”. This may be defined as a combination of light physical activity, effortless concentration and aesthetic pleasure. Soft fascination is often described by the pleasure deriving from various sources, such as, for example, the observation of vegetation and animals, at a distance removed from urban landscapes, typically studded with offices and shops (Kuo et al. 1998; Kaplan 1995; Herzog et al. 1997; Hartig et al. 2003; van den Berg et al. 2010).
