HUMAN BEHAVIORS IN MODERN CAMPUS LUNCH LANDSCAPES by PONGSAKORN SUPPAKITPAISARN (Under the supervision of Professor Sungkyung Lee) ABSTRACT
Studies show that the exposure to green spaces can benefit health, attention capacity, and work morale, especially in campus settings. However, modern era brings two issues that are worth exploring: the lack of time and the use of mobile electronic devices, which is why the human behaviors in lunch landscapes, the landscape that can be accessed during lunch break and the behavioral changes caused by electronic devices are worth exploring. This research attempts to answer three questions: what people do in lunch landscapes, what characteristics do they like, and how the electronic devices can influence the behaviors in lunch environments. 12 Study sites are selected from 4 University of Georgia campus precincts that contain food vendors. They are examined closely in preliminary observation, and multi-level site inventory. The sites are categorized into 4 groups based on their appropriate uses. Each site is then observed for 20 minutes at a time for 3 times during 11 am to 12.30 pm. The gender, activities, the lengths of stay, and the functional subspaces of the participants are recorded and examined. The results found that the uses of electronic devices are the majority use of campus green spaces while physical activity ranks the lowest. Male participants prefer the seat next to the crowd a little more than female participants. Planters and alternative seats are highest among the seating selections. People in general prefer the locations with sun, with crowd, and the majority of people in lunch landscapes use electronic devices. The preference of those who use electronic devices and those who don’t have similar pattern, but the cell phone users in particular are more likely to stand in the sun next to the movement of people.