2026 / Blue spaces, Health and well-being

The Restorative Power of Blue Spaces: A 19-Country Study

Citation

Fried, N., Wala, A., Elliott, L. R., Pahl, S., Arnberger, A., Bell, S., Bratman, G. N., Browning, M. H. E. M., Fleming, L. E., Grellier, J., Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Ojala, A., Roiko, A., van den Bosch, M., Wheeler, B. W., & White, M. P. (2026). The restorative power of blue spaces: A 19-country study. Landscape and Urban Planning, 276, 105739. doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2026.105739

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Living in cities can drain a person’s mental and emotional energy. To recharge, many people turn to natural places. Blue spaces — like rivers, lakes, and coasts — are some of the most popular spots for restoration. But researchers still don’t know much about how the type or quality of these blue spaces affects mental recovery, or how feeling connected to nature plays a role.

Using survey data from 19 countries (17,131 people total), researchers looked at how much a recent visit to a blue space helped participants “rest and recover their ability to focus” and feel “part of nature.” They studied 17 types of blue spaces, including ocean, still inland water (like lakes and ponds), and flowing inland water (like rivers and streams)— in both natural and built settings.

After accounting for differences between countries, the results showed that people found all types of blue spaces restorative. Sandy beaches and rural rivers or canals were rated the most restorative, while marshlands were rated the least. People also reported feeling strongly connected to nature overall, but natural blue spaces consistently scored higher than built ones.

The factor most strongly linked to both restoration and nature connection was how safe people felt at the site. Actively engaging with the water — like swimming or wading — was linked to greater restoration than staying on land. Both benefits also followed a pattern of diminishing returns over time, peaking at around three hours.

A deeper analysis focused on walking (the most common activity during visits) suggested a two-way relationship: feeling restored helped people feel more connected to nature, and feeling connected to nature helped them feel more restored.

The findings offer broad, multi-country evidence that spending recreational time at safe blue spaces can help people from all kinds of backgrounds restore their mental and emotional energy and strengthen their connection to the natural world.

Abstract

Living in urbanised areas can deplete cognitive and emotional resources. To help restore them, many people seek out natural locations. Blue spaces (e.g. rivers, lakes, coasts) are among people’s favourite restorative settings, but we know little about the importance of type or quality for psychological restoration, or the role of nature connectedness. Using survey data from 19 countries (n = 17,131), we explored the extent to which participants perceived a recent blue space visit had helped them “rest and recover [their] abilities to focus” and feel “part of nature”. Seventeen blue space types were investigated, spanning marine, lentic (‘standing’) inland, and lotic (‘flowing’) inland waters in both more natural and more built settings, respectively. Accounting for country differences, linear mixed models found all blue space settings were recalled as restorative, with sandy beaches and rural rivers/canals the most, and marshlands the least. Recalled nature connectedness was also high overall, although more natural blue spaces consistently scored higher than built ones. Perceived safety was the quality indicator most associated with both outcomes. Actively engaging with the water (e.g. swimming, paddling) was associated with greater restoration than remaining on-land, and both outcomes showed diminishing marginal returns over time, peaking around 3 h. Path analysis focusing on walking (the most common visit activity) suggested a reciprocal relationship between perceived restoration and nature connectedness. Results provide multi-country evidence that spending recreational time at safe blue spaces can benefit diverse populations by helping them to restore depleted cognitive/emotional resources and connect with the natural world.