Feature networks: The environmental features that are central to nature- connectedness experiences

Landscape planning and design holds the potential to contribute to efforts toward repairing our growing psychological disconnection with nature. To do so, however, it is important to know what types of environmental features impact how connected to nature certain environments make us feel. The present study used a novel application of network analysis to identify which environmental features are most important for nature connection experiences. In this research, 205 participants completed online surveys in which they reported the presence or absence of a variety of environmental features during four previous nature connection experiences. They also indicated their level of recalled nature connectedness for each experience. The network analysis revealed that the most positively important features were those commonly found in rural nature (e.g., wild nature, animals, and mountains or hills). Features reflecting human presence (e.g., buildings, paved roads, vehicles) were most negatively important. Features commonly found in semi-rural nature (e.g., trees and meadows) were seemingly only important insofar as they were associated with the wilder features. Additionally, trails, wild nature, and mountains or hills were three of the features most central to nature connection experiences, suggesting that they are particularly important for how they support other parts of the network. Overall, from a purely nature-connection perspective, these findings support the need for increased rewilding efforts—more than simply increasing basic access to urban nature—and also limiting the overt presence of human development. Other more nuanced findings are also discussed.