Impact of Urban Waterfront Green Spaces on Public Health and Well-Being Based on User Perspectives

Abstract

Urban waterfront green spaces (UWGSs) boost economic and cultural activities as an iconic urban landscape element. They impact public health and well-being (PHW) with the aesthetic landscape, open spaces, historical monuments, and cultural recreations. This study reveals the relationship between UWGSs and PHW regarding landscape configuration, function classification, environment quality, and waterfront landscape elements. By methods of hierarchical analysis, field investigation, and statistical analysis based on a subjective PHW questionnaire toward 540 visitors at 36 sites of seven waterfront parks in Shanghai, China, the results indicate that important indicators in landscape configuration are a portion of impervious surfaces, the presence of microtopography, and the presence of natural trails. Important function classification factors are the presence of accessible lawns and athletic fields. As to the environment quality and waterfront elements, more layers and colorful vegetation, water view, waterside space, natural bank, and flower scent improve PHW.