Abstract

Objectives: The first objective was to use Twitter data as unsolicited responses to urban parks and blue space rather than data prompted through researcher engagement. The second objective was to focus on basic emotion responses (Shaver, Schwartz, Kirson, & O’Connor, 1987) instead of mood, in addition outcomes associated with attention restoration (Kaplan, 1995).
Design: A quasi-experimental design explored differences in emotion and restoration across five urban green/blue spaces in the Newcastle-Gateshead Area.
Methods: Locations were chosen from the local authority Green Infrastructure policy. Data was collected from January-June 2016 using a system designed for this study to capture data real time/nine days retrospectively using researcher-defined search parameters. Tweets were coded using categories based on basic emotions (Shaver, et al, 1987) and four restorative components in attention restoration theory (Kaplan, 1995). Comparisons used chi-square analyses.
Results: 10,837 Tweets matched search parameters; 2,719 were usable (25%). Advertising Tweets and Tweets that matched key words but referred to another the location were excluded. Across locations, fascination (25.80%), compatibility (40%), and joy (19.50%) were reported more than expected and being away, love, surprise, and anger/fear/sadness (all <5%) less than expected. Joy differed by location; a similar pattern was observed for restoration.
Conclusions: Urban green/blue space users do report unsolicited restoration responses consistent with established theory. Previously, research found mixed evidence for the impact of these locations on mood, an enduring affective state; the current findings suggest emotion, a more immediate response to an object, could be a potential outcome to consider in future studies.