MYA HAGERTY
Major Professor: Dr. Yiwei Huang
LSDS-MS DEFENSE SEMINAR
July 14th @ 1:00 PM
HORT 222
“A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Campus Outdoor Fountain Features and Student Wellbeing: Urban Artificial Bluespace Usage, Experiences, and Psychological Restoration at Purdue University”
Abstract: Bluespace has been studied far less frequently than greenspace in relation to human health and wellbeing, despite emerging evidence suggesting potentially greater salutogenic (i.e., health-promoting) effects. As recent social contexts such as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified student mental health and
wellbeing concerns, artificial or constructed urban bluespace, such as outdoor fountains, may offer feasible campus infrastructure solutions to promote university student health and wellbeing in increasingly urbanized environments. This thesis investigates whether outdoor artificial urban bluespace in a university campus
setting supports student wellbeing and explores whether fountain design characteristics contribute to observed outcomes.
Data were triangulated across (1) a 10–15-minute online Qualtrics survey employing validated measures (n=67), (2) on-site post-occupancy evaluations (POE 1.0), and (3) social media post-occupancy evaluations (POE 2.0), to assess student usage, experiences, and psychological restoration associated with three outdoor fountains at Purdue University: the Engineering Fountain, Loeb Fountain, and Sinninger Pond/Fountain. Incorporating a human health and wellbeing Ecosystem Services (ESS) framework proposed by Bratman et al. (2019), this research examines the following dimensions of campus artificial bluespace: (1) Natural and Environmental Features, (2) Student Exposure, (3) Student Experiences, and (4) Student Wellbeing Effects. Research findings corroborate and extend existing conceptual bluespace frameworks, with outdoor campus fountain benefits primarily categorized as restorative, instorative, and mitigative.
Results suggest that the Purdue University fountains support student wellbeing, facilitating desired solitary and social activities, cultivating students’ sense of place (e.g., place attachment, place identity, and place dependence), regulating heat during warmer months, and buffering nearby noise. Regression analyses reveal that trait connection to nature (CNS-7) significantly predicts student psychological restoration outcomes (ROS-6) across all three fountains (p < .05), with additional factor significance for frequency of visitation at Sinninger Fountain/Pond and duration of visitation at the Engineering Fountain. This thesis offers evidence based implications and recommendations at the personal, local, and societal levels, and further applied research is encouraged to deepen current understanding of student health and wellbeing outcomes related to artificial bluespace in other campus contexts.