User evaluation conducted in early summer on the rooftop green space of a department store in central Tokyo

• Published in: Journal of the Japanese Society of Revegetation Technology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 61 - 66
• Main Authors: NASU, Mamoru, IWASAKI, Yutaka, TAKAOKA, Yukiko, HAYASHI, Yutaka, KIM, Yuyeong, ISHIDA, Miyako
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Tokyo JAPANESE SOCIETY OF REVEGETATION TECHNOLOGY 2011; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: effects of greenery; quality of life; seniors; structural equation model; urban green areas; user evaluation
• ISSN: 0916-7439; 0916-7439
• DOI: 10.7211/jjsrt.37.61

A questionnaire-based study was conducted to elucidate the effects of rooftop greening at a department store in central Tokyo on the everyday lives of the users. The results showed that 71 % of the users rated rooftop greening effects as being generally desirable. Confirmatory factor analysis of the survey results identified physiological health, emotional health, and social health—the 3 elements of plants and horticulture known to improve quality of life—as the constructs that users perceived from rooftop greening. The factor scores and survey results demonstrated that most users, including company employees, had similar levels of physiological health due to reduced stress levels and viewing a pleasant landscape. In particular, seniors aged over 60 years benefited from emotional health due to pleasure of being in close contact with greenery and homemakers benefited from social health due to interactions with others.