Aesthetic experience of raingardens
The role of affordance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21468852 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Meredith Frances Dobbie (0000-0001-8512-6259, Monash University, corresponding author), Megan Farrelly (0000-0002-0453-059X, Monash University), Megan Anne Farrelly |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 251 |
| Pages | 105167 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Landscape and Urban Planning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0169-2046 • E-ISSN: 1872-6062 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105167 |
| OpenAlex | W4401047514 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
Raingardens, as part of urban green infrastructure, are being retrofitted in cities worldwide to contribute to urban sustainability and resilience. Technical function is essential, as is aesthetic function to optimise their community acceptance. Unlike technical design guidelines, aesthetic design guidelines for raingardens are limited. Experience of a landscape can contribute to its bio-physical sustainability, however not all landscape aesthetic experiences are pleasurable. Ecologically motivated landscape change might trigger displeasure. Thus, public support for such change depends on understanding how people perceive and experience beauty in that landscape. Four types of aesthetic experience of landscapes have been proposed in a perceptual model of human/environmental transactions, depending on landscape context and the observer’s situational context. These are scenic and ecological aesthetics, and aesthetics of care and effect of knowledge, and attachment and identity. Understanding which type applies to raingardens can inform their design and management to optimise their acceptance when retrofitted into streetscapes. As part of a study into perception of raingardens in four suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, survey data from 139 respondents were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively to reveal perceptual aesthetic experiences. The four aesthetic experiences proposed in the model were identified. An additional, fifth aesthetic, related to affordance, emerged from analysis. Drawing on criteria underlying each aesthetic lens, raingardens can be designed and managed to ensure that any aesthetic experience is favourable. Aesthetic lenses need not compete or be mutually exclusive. Design need not mimic natural forms but can draw attention to nature-based processes within the raingardens and foster environmental ethics
Affordance · Cognitive psychology · Place Attachment and Urban Studies · Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation
Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames
The shared landscape
An Ecological Aesthetic for Forest Landscape Management
Landscape perception
What will the neighbors think? Cultural norms and ecological design
Cross-Validation of Abbreviated Perceived Residential Environment Quality (PREQ) and Neighborhood Attachment (NA) Indicators
Nature and Operation of Attitudes
Place attachment
Place-identity
Green Enough Ain’t Good Enough
An Outline of a Theory of Affordances
Seven lessons for planning nature-based solutions in cities
Big Water, Everyday Water
Foundations for an Ecological Aesthetic
Is It Really Just a Social Construction
A contribution to the assessment of scenic quality of landscapes based on preferences expressed by the public
Restored Nature, Familiar Culture
Place Attachment
Defining place attachment
Sustaining beauty. The performance of appearance
Landscapes
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |