How Do Plant Landscapes Provide Health Benefits to Residents in Urban Green Spaces? Exploring the Role of Restorative Experiences

Abstract

Plants are considered important elements of ecosystems and benefit the health of human society. However, it is unclear which attributes of plant landscapes effectively influence residents’ health in urban areas and whether this influence is moderated by other factors, such as stress. This study considers the link between the plant landscape and residents’ experiences and health benefit perceptions. The possible structural relationships between them are verified with structural equation modeling on the basis of stimulus–organism–response theory and attention restoration theory. In addition, the mediating effect and moderating effect are tested via the SPSS Process program. The results indicate that two dimensions of plant landscapes, landscape esthetics/ functionality and vegetation density, influence residents’ restorative experiences and, in turn, impact health. Only the compatibility experience and the being-away experience mediate the relationship between the plant landscape and perceived health benefits. Stress does not moderate the mediating effect of restorative experiences on the relationship between plant landscapes and perceived health benefits. On the basis of these findings, valuable information is offered concerning forest city construction and urban green space planning for the purpose of generating desirable public health and well-being.