Urban Economics and Planning

Urban Economics and Planning

From aesthetic planting design to health-oriented planting design: A critical review of the paradigm shift in urban green space planting design

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
Abstract
Growing evidence from environmental psychology, epidemiology, neuroscience, and landscape architecture has highlighted the contribution of urban green spaces to mental health and well-being, leading to a gradual shift in planting design from a purely aesthetic practice toward a health-oriented approach. Despite the expanding literature on nature–health relationships, a comprehensive framework explaining the dimensions of therapeutic planting design and the challenges of this emerging paradigm remains lacking. This study critically examines the theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, and transition challenges of therapeutic planting design and proposes a conceptual framework to evaluate and guide this shift. A critical review was conducted using the SALSA framework (search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis). Literature was retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and SID databases. From the initial 1624 records identified, 80 studies published between 2015 and 2026 that met the inclusion criteria were quality assessed and synthesized using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis.
The findings indicate that three major theoretical perspectives constitute the conceptual foundations of health-oriented planting design, including stress reduction theory, attention restoration theory, and the therapeutic landscapes approach. Thematic analysis further identified five key challenges: the tension between conventional aesthetics and health-oriented multisensory aesthetics; the native–exotic plant dilemma; the misconception of a one-size-fits-all healing garden; the research–practice gap; and the quantity–quality gap in urban green space planning. The findings demonstrate that urban planting design is undergoing a paradigm shift from a predominantly aesthetic approach toward a health-oriented one. The proposed five-level conceptual framework, the principal contribution of this study, conceptualizes this transition as a continuum from aesthetic planting to integrated health-oriented planting design, providing an evidence-informed basis for the design, evaluation, and policy development of urban green spaces.
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Volume 7, Issue 12
In Process
March 2027
Pages 88-113

  • Receive Date 02 June 2026
  • Revise Date 29 June 2026
  • Accept Date 04 July 2026