Evaluation of Age-Appropriate Public Seats in Comprehensive Parks and Sustainable Design Strategies Based on the Kano-Importance–Performance Analysis Model

Abstract

As the proportion of the world’s elderly population continues to increase, the need for age-appropriate public facilities is rising. This study investigated the key elements affecting older people’s satisfaction with public seating in parks and proposed a sustainable design strategy based on the evaluation and analysis. An evaluation system of age-appropriate public seating containing 20 indicators was constructed. The theory of attractive quality (the Kano model) was used to classify the demand for public seating and to clarify the logical relationship between the role of each element in the satisfaction of public seating in parks. Then, a matrix analysis of importance and satisfaction was carried out with importance–performance analysis (IPA) to determine the direction of improvement. The results of both were comprehensively analyzed to determine the elements requiring critical improvement, and the order of maintenance and improvement. This research shows that public seat design should consider several key factors, including setting density, backrest support, good appearance, helping handrails, bright colors, and so on. This study provides suggestions for maintaining and improving the diversity of public seats in comprehensive parks, including sustainable resource integration and sustainable product recycling. The outcomes were expected to guide the improvement in the construction of age-appropriate public facilities in comprehensive parks within existing built-up areas and to increase the satisfaction of public seating use in comprehensive urban parks.