How Do Students Use the Outdoor Space on Campus? a Case Study on a Campus Design and Its Relation to Outdoor Activities

Abstract

The number of college students suffering from psychological problems is a growing issue. For instance, 41.6% of college students are concerning anxiety, and 35.8% of students are experiencing depression (American Psychological Association, 2013). Recent studies have found that physical environments can promote physical activity and the health of users. For instance, attractive public open space encourages various users to enjoy physical activities and social communications, and poor building surroundings are more likely to increase the depression rates of the residents. A college campus is not only a setting for teaching and learning but also a living space where students live for several years. Students study, eat, play, sleep, and exercise, spending significant hours on campus. Furthermore, recent studies have reported that the physical environments of campus play critical roles in students’ physical and mental health. However, the importance of campus design is usually neglected compared to personal treatment (Baum & Fisher, 2014). Therefore, this study aims to identify design strategies and attributes that could encourage physical and social activities of college students on campus, which in turn will improve their health. Using a higher education college campus in South Korea as a case study, this study investigates design attributes affecting college students’ physical and social activities on campus, especially focusing on the outdoor spaces. This study uses a mixed-method approach to demonstrate what characteristics affect students’ preference for the spaces. Users’ experiences and opinions regarding campus outdoor environments are investigated by interviews and surveys. College students, including undergraduate and graduate students, were asked how often they use outdoor spaces, why they use those spaces and how much they are satisfied with the outdoor spaces. Simultaneously, the physical attributes of the outdoor environments are analyzed and quantified using various spatial analysis tools, including Space Syntax and GIS. This process is expected to find a correlation between students’ perception of the outdoor space and its physical elements. The data will be gathered and visualized in GIS and it will be analyzed using multiple statistical analysis methods. The process aims to find the relationships between students’ experiences and characteristics of campus outdoor spaces. Based on this result, the status quo of outdoor environments for students will be organized and the design strategy for improvement will be suggested. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to improving students’ physical and mental health through the design of the college campus.