How urban parks nurture eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing: An explorative large scale qualitative study in Québec, Canada

• Published in: Wellbeing, space and society space and society, 2022, Vol.3, p.100095, Article 100095
• Main Authors: Saint-Onge, Kadia, Coulombe, Simon, Philibert, Mathieu, Wiesztort, Laurène, Houle, Janie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eudaimonia; Hedonia; Positive wellbeing; Qualitative; Urban parks
• ISSN: 2666-5581; 2666-5581
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2022.100095

•Urban park use reportedly serves self-care, childcare and neighborhood care.•Various reported eudaimonic wellbeing benefits included personal growth and connection.•Park qualities most associated to benefits were open space and playgrounds.•Proactively promoting urban park use should complement mental health promotion efforts.•Urban planning should offer a wider variety of park types in a close neighborhood. This study investigated urban park users’ perceptions of why they use these spaces, how use affects their wellbeing, and the park qualities underlying those benefits. Interviews were conducted with 449 adult park users (M = 43.6 years old) in 20 parks across four cities in Quebec, Canada. Thematic analysis produced three themes describing global drives behind park use and its effect on wellbeing: Caring for self, Caring for children, and Caring for others. Users actively sought out hedonic wellbeing, namely through leisure, as well as eudaimonic wellbeing through connection to self or others. Implications for health promotion and urban planning are discussed.