RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Influence of Perceived Environmental Quality on the Perceived Restorativeness of Public Spaces
A1 Hernández Ruiz, Bernardo
A1 Ríos Rodríguez, María Luisa
A1 Rosales Sánchez, Christian Robert
A1 Lorenzo, Maryurena
A1 Muinos, Gabriel
A2 Psicología CognitivaSocial y Organizacional
K1 restorativeness
K1 public space
K1 environmental quality
K1 parks
K1 town squares
AB Parks and town squares can play an important role by offering spaces for cognitive restorativeness in urban contexts. Therefore, it is important that these spaces be designed in a way that encourages restorativeness. Indeed, their perceived quality should motivate users to stay and take advantage of them. Yet, it is not clear whether perceptions as to the quality of these spaces is relevant in promoting restorativeness. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze whether elements of environmental quality perceived by users of public spaces favor restorativeness both in parks and squares. Environmental and social aspects are taken into consideration, since restorative experiences involve cognitive and physiological recovery, as well as a component of interaction with the environment. In this research, 519 users of 32 urban public spaces—town squares and parks—on the island of Tenerife (Spain) participated. Participants evaluated these spaces using four dimensions that focused on spaces’ perceived environmental quality: design of spaces, care of spaces, social interaction, and presence of sensorial elements. Additionally, we evaluated the perceived restorativeness of each space. The results showed that the design of spaces, care of the spaces, social interaction, and presence of sensorial elements explain the variance in perceived restorativeness, although with different weights for parks and squares. We found that perceived quality of a space is a key predictor of its restorativeness. This means that maintaining parks and town squares is a relevant task given that they contribute to reducing cognitive overload, increasing sustainability, and facilitating health care in urban settings.
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/40108
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/40108
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 24-nov-2024