ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 310

Introduction A large body of literature corroborates the multidimensional contribution of vegetation, in its various scales, to the environment, human health and well-being. The environmental and ecological benefits of vegetation in urban settings include urban heat island and soil erosion mitigation as well as air and water purification (US EPA 2013; Hudson 2000; Nuruzzaman 2015), and a recognised contribution of private gardens to the urban biodiversity (Rudd 2002; Gaston et al. 2007; Riboulot-Chetrit 2015). In a rapidly urbanising world, opportunities for interaction with nature may be limited despite the credible evidences demonstrating human health and well-being promoting qualities of natural environments rich in vegetation content (Berman et al. 2008; De Vries et al. 2003; Van den Berg et al. 2010, Bowler et al. 2010; Irvine & Warber 2013; Pretty 2004). Increasing empirical indications assert that interaction with nature contributes to human quality of life (Fuller & Irvine 2010; Irvine et al. 2010), including positive effects on physical health (Ulrich, 1984; Maas et al, 2006), psychological well-being (Kaplan 2001; Fuller et al. 2007; Shin et al. 2010), cognitive ability (Han 2009) and societal benefits such as social cohesion and interaction (Shinew et al. 2004; Mitchell & Popham 2008; Sullivan et al. 2004), reductions in health spending (Hansem et al. 2009) or crime rates (Kuo & Sullivan 2001). Despite the well-recognized benefits of vegetation in urban settings, the contemporary built environment in Algerian towns in general, and in suburban housing developments in particular, is characterized by a shyly represented or almost totally absent greenery, thus co ntributing to the creation of a barren and hostile urban landscape. Although required by regulation, the public green space (squares, plazas, planted streets, parks, etc.) hardly materializes, and remains often limited to simple design projections on paper. In the last four decades, Algeria has witnessed a proliferation of residential developments that lacked public spaces. Areas allocated to green space in particular, have often been diverted to respond to an ever-increasing demand in residential programs, unchallenged by inadequate central government policies. These urban forms are the most widespread in the composite landscape of current Algerian cities and occupy large tracks of urban land, a large share of which is taken by individual housing developments with varying plot sizes. Although residential developments are controlled by strict building codes and regulations, in setting the building layout, footprint and height to maintain a harmonious urban setting, there are no specific provisions for the green space within individual plots (ONCTC 2013). In theory, everything suggests that private properties and individual homes design in particular, should be more receptive to vegetation than the public spaces. The inhospitality of the residential neighborhoods suggests the occupants’ withdrawal to the interior of their homes to compensate and recreate the comfort and pleasure naturally derived from vegetation. An individual house with a garden is often preferred to the apartment as it allows both the outdoor extension of the domestic space and the much sought intimate contact with nature through the private garden (Dubost 1997; Frileux 2013). However, a visit to most residential areas in Oran, the second largest city in Algeria, quickly reveals their poverty in vegetation, engendering a cause to effect interrogations on the impact of houses plot size, typology and occupants’ attitudes and practices towards vegetation and its perceived role and value in everyday environment. In this regard, a broad investigation was initiated to explore the situation and relied on two complementary objectives. On the one hand, it aimed to document the physical and spatial materialization of vegetation in individual housing, assessing the impact of plot size, housing typology and building extension on the green space. On the other hand, it explored the occupants’ attitude and behavior towards greenery through their practical and symbolic representations of vegetation in their own house 308 ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy