The impact of urban flower meadows on the well-being of city dwellers provides hints for planning biophilic green spaces

Living surrounded by greenery has a relaxing effect and reduces physiological and psychological symptoms of stress. In view of the exponential growth of the urban population and disconnection with nature, supporting the physical and mental health of city dwellers is a huge challenge nowadays. In this context, urban flower meadows (UFMs), a relatively new management strategy cultivated in many cities, can be a very important component of urban greenery, which support human well-being. We investigated the emotional reception of UFMs, taking into account the features of different types of UFMs and the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. Our research shows that urban flower meadows evoke positive emotions regardless of the age, gender and place of origin of respondents. While some structural variables of UFMs, particularly the proportion of green in relation to other colours, the representation of various flower colours, the proportion of yellow flowers, and the presence of alien plant species-influence people's perception. Fewer colours and the absence of alien plant species tend to shift perception towards less positive emotions. The dominance of yellow flowers evokes positive emotions. These results are helpful for the further planning of UFMs to better reinforce the well-being of all city dwellers.