PhD Thesis: A Study on University Campus Outdoor Environments Promoting Students’ Mental Well-Being

Description

This research aims to explore the impact of university campus outdoor environments on students' mental well-being and analyze how physical environmental factors influence students' environmental perceptions and activities. Given the increasing risks to college students' mental health, improving campus environments has emerged as one potential solution. While previous studies have examined the relationship between human mental well-being and natural or built environments, limited research has focused on college students and university campus outdoor spaces. Through literature reviews and case studies, this research addresses the following research questions: 1) How does the campus environment affect students' mental well-being? 2) What environmental factors influence students' perceptions and activities? 3) How can students’ preferences for specific campus spaces be estimated? 4) How can campus design be optimized to promote students' mental health? By identifying students' perceptions, activities, and related environmental factors, this research proposed a machine learning-based model to estimate students' perceptions and preferences for specific campus environments. Furthermore, design guidelines are proposed to inform future new designs and renovations of university campuses, with the goal of promoting students' mental well-being.

Period	1 Sept 2020 → 13 Mar 2025
Examinee	Kunlun Ren
Examination held at	Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Degree of Recognition	International