Urban Parks and Mental Health Recovery During the Pandemic: Insights from an Iranian Case Study

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, urban parks have been highlighted as necessary for cities to cope with the stress of the virus threat and the physical restrictions imposed in response. Public health and urban planning can benefit from examining the associations between urban parks and mental health. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between Fateh Garden and the mental health of its users. It is vital for public health and urban planning to take into account the associations between parks and mental health. Fateh Garden is the second largest park in Karaj, with an area of 15 ha. This study employed a modified Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) to measure the impact of Fateh Garden on users' mental health. Seventy-six of the users filled out the questionnaire. Furthermore, fifty-seven semi-structured interviews composed of 27 males and 30 females were conducted with Fateh Garden users. Participants were asked to rate fourteen items on a 1–5 Likert scale about their mental health. The mean score in this study is 52.12, which is higher than the mean score norms for WEMWBS and shows the high impact of Fateh Garden in improving the mental health of its users. The results also indicated that positive mental health was significantly and positively correlated with Fateh Garden's users' age, marital status, and employment status. This study confirmed a generally beneficial relationship between Fateh Garden and the mental health of its users, especially during the pandemic. Moreover, the present study shows that people choose a park that reminds them of their favorite components and gives them peace of mind.