Urban Green Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Correlational Analysis on Stress and Preferences of Gen Zs and Millennials in Pampanga

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has caused the urban population to experience high levels of stress and other negative impacts to their wellbeing. Urban green spaces (UGS) are known to promote mental health, given the proper features. This study aimed to describe the usage and identify the preferred characteristics and activities of Gen Zs and millennials when visiting UGS in Pampanga. Online and field surveys used Nystrom’s SCI-93 to identify the stress levels (α = 0.781), the preferred activities were classified using an instrument from China (α = 0.794), and 24 UGS characteristics was classified using the Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) to identify the preferred characteristics of the participants (α = 0.886). Descriptive analysis revealed that the majority (35.5%) of millennials and Gen Zs of Pampanga seldom visited UGS during the pandemic, and 29% stayed an average of 1 to 2 hours, often in sports and exercise areas (56.1%). Majority or 81% of the participants were found to engage in social and quiet activities, while public participation was least preferred wherein 69.2% mentioned they did not do this during the pandemic. Serene quality of urban green space is found to be the dimension that is most sought after with M = 4.5 using descriptive analysis, while UGS with Culture are least favored (M = 3.42). Correlational analysis found that stress levels are correlated with Refuge (r = 0.390), Nature (r = 0.261), Space (r = 0.256), Prospect (r = 0.251), and Serene (r = 0.213) dimensions. These findings will be crucial in designing UGS features to ensure that the preferences of the public will be integrated with planning to promote wellbeing during times of stress.