PERCEIVING THE TRANSITION OF URBAN CAMPUS OPEN SPACES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF COVID-19

Abstract

The open spaces on campus provide great opportunities to engage in beneficial outdoor activities. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, campus users have experienced several periods of isolation, which has affected perceptions of the environment and practical use of these public spaces. To investigate how campus users, connect with adjacent open spaces under the influence of pandemic restrictions, the authors conducted a case study at six selected sites on the Universiti Malaya (UM) campus. The results show that the current lockdown has reduced frequency and differences in daily use at the selected sites. Some landscape furniture and vegetation were removed or replaced as regular maintenance, while the primary users changed from students to staff. Nevertheless, the perceived aesthetic appeal and previous outdoor experiences in the selected open spaces stimulated emotional attachments to the physical campus and a widespread appreciation of the green spaces on campus. The results can serve as a practical basis for interventions for campus users' psychological restoration during this transition and provide theoretical support for investigating higher quotient stimulation of spatial senses to enhance landscape design strategies.