Prioritizing Elements of Recreation Footpaths to Promote Healing with the Help of Sense Perceptions

Consideration of Healing through recreational footpaths can improve mental and physical health and increase the mental health of city dwellers. One of the most important dimensions of recreational footpaths is design elements used in them which are categorized into two tangible and subjective species. Many researchers have investigated the effective design components on the health and welfare of citizens; but a comprehensive look at the relationship between landscape elements of recreation footpaths and healing components with regard to the role of the human senses has not been carried out yet. This article seeks to identify effective dimensions of recreation footpaths and their impact on healing the users with the help of the five senses.

The research approach is qualitative. In a general view, all the used data in this research obtained from two ways; review of previous researches and experts’ vote. At first, efficient dimensions and components were clarified and prioritized using library methods and logical reasoning; then experts’ recommendations had been analyzed and discussed through fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP). At the end, the results of both previous stages were integrated using normalization in order to finalize the priorities of footpath elements.

The findings emphasized that “Sight” has the most impact on perception and healing components, among other senses. Also, natural elements have the most impact on the healing through footpath elements. And the highest proportion of healing will occur in ‘emotional / psychological healing’.

Seeing "natural landscapes" (through sight and visual aspects) and being in touch with nature (through olfactory, tactile and audible senses), can decrease the psychological stresses and Increase biological well-being as well as heal internal anxiety.