A Study on the Relation between Space Perception and Physical Components of Taiji Boxing Sites in Urban Parks of Wuhan City, China

Abstract

Although Taiji Boxing is an outdoor activity with a long history, it is still popular in urban parks of China nowadays. Studying the relation between space perception and physical components from the viewpoint of Taiji Boxing, a frequent activity with a fixed site, will benefit park design and management. This study selected ten Taiji Boxing sites in two comprehensive urban parks. Physical components of these sites were measured and the users’ perception was also surveyed by SD method. Through Factor Analysis and Regression Analysis, the findings suggest that there are four factors expressing the site perception of Taiji Boxing: relaxation, aesthetics, calmness and naturalness. Furthermore, the relations between the four perception factors and the physical components of Taiji Boxing space are made clear: length of the site sides facing water bodies impacts on the perception of relaxation; width of path impacts on the perception of aesthetics; length of sitting places and tree covering ratio in order impact on the perception of calmness; trees covering ratio, width of path and length of sitting places in order impact on the perception of naturalness.