Exploring the Mutual Relationships between Public Space and Social Satisfaction with Case Studies

Abstract

This paper analyzes the interconnection between community place qualification and neighborhood social capital. It conducts four types of analyses concerning twelve communities in the Jinshui district of Zhengzhou City. With a literature review, this innovative paper provides general indicators to assess the relationship between the quality of public spaces and social capital. The innovative feature of this study is when that it localizes indicators with local cognition in analyses. The research methods of this paper are theoretical probes with a case study strategy. A structural equation model (SEM) and a questionnaire technique are employed with 1068 sample respondents. This research benefits from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) in a structural equation model (SEM). The studies include five public places’ elements and four social capital factors. The EFA supports reliability, and CFA reveals that environmentally friendly community places affect satisfaction. The model provides more attractive public places and increases social capital. The environmental, humane, and sustainable urban planning and development model brings more public satisfaction and social trust. Bartlett’s test of sphericity verifies our structural equation modeling results. The outcomes of this paper assist urban planners and engineers in designing green cities to provide social satisfaction.