Built or Social environment? Effects of perceptions of neighborhood green spaces on resilience of residents to heat waves

Abstract

Large cities in North China are at an increasing risk of heat waves. Several previous studies have emphasized the significance of heat wave resilience but they generally failed to sufficiently consider the social level and to explore the mechanisms involved. In the present study, we investigated heat wave resilience as a full-cycle process and elucidated the related factors at the level of environmental perception. We selected 60 neighborhoods that are vulnerable to high temperatures in the central urban area of Tianjin. Using a questionnaire (N = 734), we evaluated the residents' perceptions in terms of the built-environmental perception (BEP) and socio-environmental perception (SEP) of neighborhood green spaces, as well as assessing the resilience levels of residents in the three phases comprising heat wave preparation, resistance, and recovery. Structural equation models were constructed to identify the mechanisms that influenced resilience in each phase. The results demonstrated a significant and direct effect of SEP on heat wave preparation and on the resistance phase. In addition, both BEP and SEP were critical for the recovery of residents. Using multi-group analysis, we identified differences in the mechanisms that allowed residents to acquire heat wave resilience. Based on these findings, we suggest that green space planning and policies should focus on optimizing the built environment, but also on the roles of residents' social support networks because they are crucial for guaranteeing the sustainability of vulnerable groups and helping communities to cope with heat waves.