The focus of this article was to determine the psychological as well as the medical affects of experiencing nature versus experience urban environments. The results for the experiment showed human clearly were better off experiencing nature, in multiple aspects. They felt more comfortable in nature because they had to spent less time focusing on multiple actions and objects and as a result, nature experiences were simply more relaxing. This relaxation also affected physiological changes in the humans tested, with many having lower heart rates and other beneficial health factors. However, experiments are not just about the results that you get but what you do after you get the results.
The evidence presented by the experiment makes it clear that humans prefer having experiences in nature, on a psychological and physiological level. However, how can you transfer those experiences into the modern urban environments. As the article notes, the majority of Americans already live in cities and more will migrate there as time passes. It would be unrealistic to expect this trend to change. There are potentially two different ways to address the fact that urban areas are so detached from nature. One would be to incorporate more parks and natural environment inside cities or at the very least, in areas that are very accessible. This locations would give individuals opportunities to go out and experience nature and detox themselves from urban fatigue.
The problem with that is that people very rarely voluntarily do such things. Most people are very aware, on some vague level, of the benefits of going to parks and experiencing nature. Yet, people often don’t whether it be because they lack time or they are still uninterested. The reality is that the only way to realistically put people in positions to experience nature is to bring nature to them. This means not only having more infrastructure that is incorporated with nature but also simple things such as an abundant amount of trees, flowers, and plants. The study noted that people often feel more comfortable in the houses, when they can see greenery outside rather than urban objects. This shows the clear need to bring nature to the city, not people to nature.
