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Emerging Concepts Exploring the Role of Nature for Health and Well-Being

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures

Synonyms

Digital nature; Health; Nature connectedness; Nature relatedness; Physical activity; Virtual reality; Well-being

Definition

As society changes so too does the environment around us. Urbanization has become a threat for natural environments. As our understanding of the benefits of nature engagement continues to evolve, it is important to understand what our relationship with nature looks like and how to foster it. With the looming challenge of urbanization it is time to consider alternatives to the outside nature that we are used to. Developments in digital nature and virtual reality may hold the key to helping individuals maintain a connection to nature.

Introduction

Spending time in the mountains, at the beach, or simply in an urban green space – experiencing the outdoors seems to receive growing popularity worldwide, most notably across Western societies. While personal motives for increased interest in being in nature often vary and are diverse, public discourses highlight...

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Acknowledgments

This project (GoGreenRoutes; www.gogreenroutes.eu) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869764

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Correspondence to Cassandra Murphy .

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Murphy, C., MacCarthy, D., Petersen, E. (2022). Emerging Concepts Exploring the Role of Nature for Health and Well-Being. In: Brears, R.C. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87745-3_250

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