Healing in the green: the relationship between park environments and mental wellness at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur

The process of urbanization in Malaysia has resulted in the development of greater psychological pressure among city residents, which requires finding the so-called healing environments that will help to reduce stress levels and increase the level of emotional resilience. This paper explores the usefulness of Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur as a restorative landscape and its effect to the psychological wellbeing of visitors. Based on a quantitative research design, the participants used to gather data through a structured questionnaire comprising 44 participants with the assistance of three central dimensions of exposure to the natural environment, psychological and emotional well-being, and the perception of the park as a healing space. The results indicate that there is a deep relationship between the activity in the park and mental renewal. Precisely, 90.9% of the respondents said that the park atmosphere enabled them to forget about academic and personal stressors temporarily, and 84.1% especifically said that the lake and water features served as the prime triggers that made them forget about their academic and personal stressors and restarted their emotional balance. Moreover, the research study shows that there is a high degree of agreement (88.6%) as to the design of the park- that is, the strategic blend of an open green setting and the use of the blue infrastructure (water) forms an effective healing environment. Although the number of visitors to the city is very high, the environment is still a major motivator and experience that can leave a person inspired as 81.8% of the respondents were inspired after the visit. The study concludes by recommending that Taman Tasik Titiwangsa is an important element of the mental health infrastructure in the city. The findings can assist urban planners and landscape designers in making empirical decisions on the importance of maintaining the blue-green resources to improve the emotional healing and psychological wellness of the urban population.