Linking Human Wellbeing and Urban Greenspaces: Applying the SoftGIS Tool for Analyzing Human Wellbeing Interaction in Helsinki, Finland

This paper reviews a study into the relationships between urban greenspaces and the benefits to psychological, social, and physical aspects of human wellbeing in a population using those environments. This relationship is theorized, analyzed, and measured through the transactional paradigm and is operationalized through the use of a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS), SoftGIS, which activates the greenspace - human wellbeing relationship through interaction and its map-based survey data collection. Over 1800 unique place-based relationships were analyzed. Results indicate what type of human wellbeing affordances were received from indicated greenspace within the Helsinki Urban Region. The implications are interdisciplinary and include community planning, urban geography, and human health as well as insight into the design and strategic management of greenspaces in urbanizing regions to provide continued and improved benefits to humans and nature.