[pp.87-96]
Yoshitaka OTSUKA and Yutaka IWASAKI (Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University)
Abstract:
This study investigated users’ preferences concerning resting places in urban green spaces. An experiment was performed with 20 participants; it focused on users’ psychological criteria for utilization and satisfaction with regard to resting places in two urban green spaces. In terms of choice behavior, participants set a high value on “avoiding congestion and being in a discreet place,” “richness of plants,” and “good atmosphere.” In addition, participants’ inclination toward choice behavior was classified into three groups: “sunny environment type,” “access type,” and “marginal environment type.” The most favorable resting place was different before and after resting and was not always identical between relative and absolute evaluation. Furthermore, despite no significant difference in the favorable ratings of resting places across the study areas, significant differences were observed if we arranged the data of the three study areas into three groups along the order of preference in each case. To demonstrate the users’ preference criteria, we compared them with new data from these three groups. The results indicate that “sense of security” and “spacious” were the users’ preference criteria. Furthermore, the elements that correlated with the favorable rating of the resting place were primarily “richness of plants” and “clarity.”
Key Word:
resting place, urban green space, choice behavior, evaluation criteria