The Features and Impact of Outdoor Environments in Public Rental Housing Communities as a Healing Environment for Residents' Well-being

A healing environment needs to take into account the well-being of residents. In this study, the current condition of outdoor facilities along with natural factors was analyzed and features were identified that focused on the outdoor environment of public rental housing. By conducting a satisfaction analysis and a survey on the healing effect of outdoor facilities, it was investigated whether satisfaction influenced the healing effect. As for the theoretical background, the elements of the healing environment were studied based on Roger Ulrich's 1984 supporting design theory. The subjects of this study were public rental housing complexes that received an excellent score or better on the G-SEED certification within ten years and had external environmental factors suitable for a healing environment. Based on residents' behavior, the therapeutic factors of outdoor facilities were divided into accessibility, convenience, longer period, and connectivity to conduct a satisfaction survey on outdoor space. The healing effect was examined using Kaplan, R. & Kaplan, S. (1989) Attention Recovery Theory (ART) and whether satisfaction with the outdoor space influenced the healing effect. The results of the satisfaction survey showed that the outdoor environment of satisfaction factors had a significant impact on overall satisfaction, with convenience having the greatest impact. The effect of overall satisfaction on the confirmed healing effect also showed a positive effect. These results revealed that satisfaction with the outdoor environment and satisfaction factors are correlated with the healing effect; it was possible to confirm the importance and elements of outdoor environments in a healing environment in terms of residents’ well-being.