Impact of Perception of Green Space for Health Promotion on Willingness to Use Parks and Actual Use among Young Urban Residents

Abstract

Promoting the use of green space is a fundamental way to improve physical and mental health and to enhance the quality of life of urban residents. In response to increasing demand for green space in cities, the impact of perception of green space for health promotion on willingness to use parks and actual use among young urban residents was investigated in this study. A total of 1135 young residents (ages 18–35) in three cities in China were surveyed by online questionnaire. A group of multiple regression models was constructed to investigate the influencing perception factors of participants’ willingness to use parks and actual use. The results revealed that the young residents’ perception of green space components for health promotion (green space access, types, sizes, plants, water, sensory features, microclimate environments and amenity facilities) had a greater effect on their willingness to use parks and to promote health, while it was less influential with respect to their actual park use behavior (frequency and duration). Among these variables, green space access is a critical concern for willingness to use toward parks. The disparities of perception of green space for health promotion effect on willingness to use a park and actual use provide a better understanding of the psychological factors affecting park use among young residents. The findings also provided some implications for public health policymakers, urban planners and landscape architects in designing parks to encourage visitation by young people.

Performance Assessment Indicators for Comparing Recreational Services of Urban Parks

“…In addition, according to the results of observed people of different activity groups and their graphic spatial distribution (see Figure 4 and Appendix C ), the overall recreational spaces of four parks are more applicable for sightseeing and some activities that do not depend on facilities. Together with other studies [ 56 , 57 , 58 ], the results infer that places with sports courts/facilities for ball sports activities are generally scarce in Chinese parks [ 48 ], which results in fewer sports activity groups in parks.…”

“…The purpose of urban parks, especially large ones, is to serve different kinds of activities and high service quality exists when recreation opportunities meet the needs of various visitors [ 46 ]. However, it was reported that Chinese young people were less likely to use parks [ 47 ] and this was related to a lack of attractiveness for young adults of urban parks in China [ 48 ]. As a result, the diversity of activity types that visitors engaged in should also be an important index to assess a park’s service quality.…”

Assessing Public Open Spaces: A Case of City Nagpur, India

“…A well-defined and visible entrance gives comfort to users and allows them to enter the POS. Wide, single-level walkways within POS improve usability and provide physical comfort not only to joggers but also to senior citizens who prefer walking [45][46][47]. Furthermore, the climate responsive design of POS also improves physical comfort [48,49].…”

Deciphering the Link Between Mental Health and Green Space in Shenzhen, China: The Mediating Impact of Residents' Satisfaction

“…The construction of ecological civilization has been incorporated into China's national master plan, elevating ecological construction to the national strategic level. As people's living standards have improved, the importance of green space for mental health, especially for stress relief, has attracted the attention of the Chinese public ( 2 , 3 ). As an aspect of urban construction, greening is responsible for a city's ecological functioning and has been shown to exert significant positive effects on Chinese residents' mental health ( 4 ) and well-being ( 1 ).…”