Are the accessibility and facility environment of parks associated with mental health? A comparative analysis based on residential areas and workplaces

Abstract

The spatial implications of urban parks for residents’ mental health have attracted significant attention in the context of rapid urbanization and spatial reconstruction. While previous studies have examined park access in residential areas and mental health, direct evidence on the impact of park features in workplaces has been limited. This paper focuses on the association between mental health and park features in residential areas and workplaces by combining park data and individual survey data from suburban Shanghai, China. Both street and comprehensive parks are measured in terms of accessibility and the facility environment. The facility environment includes sports facilities, open lawns, and blue spaces. The results indicate that the parks' facility environment shows more essential effects on residents' mental health than accessibility. For street parks, open lawns and better accessibility positively correlate with people's mental health, while these are not true for comprehensive parks. Additionally, residential parks show a more positive correlation with the mental recovery of suburban residents than parks in workplaces, and the benefits of parks are more pronounced when people live and work closer to the urban central area. The findings of this study suggest the importance of park facilities in both residential areas and workplaces.