LANDSCAPE ATTRACTIVENESS AND PLACE IDENTITY: CONSIDERING THE ROLE OF URBAN PARKS

Abstract

Urban parks, vital public spaces for community health and well-being, also face challenges related to safety and security. Balancing the need for recreational spaces with ensuring safety is paramount for urban stability. However, existing research on the nexus between landscape attractiveness and perceived safety often overlooks the influence of factors such as park usage patterns, place identity, and park typologies. To address this research gap, we conducted a survey among 411 urban park users and employed SmartPLS and SPSS for data analysis. Our findings reveal a robust correlation between landscape attractiveness and perceived safety. Furthermore, we uncover that the combined influence of place identity and time spent in the park can serve as positive mediators in this relationship. Surprisingly, our analysis indicates that time spent in the park alone does not exert a significant mediating effect. Notably, our results highlight nuanced variations: the association between landscape attractiveness and place identity is particularly pronounced in parks with lower landscape attractiveness, while the mediating role of place identity on the relationship between park usage time and perceived safety is more pronounced in parks with higher landscape attractiveness. These findings contribute to our understanding of how urban park landscapes relate to perceived safety and provide new insights for improving the safety of urban parks, offering valuable insights for urban planners and public health policymakers in designing healthier urban environments.