Modeling the relationships between hardscape color and user satisfaction in urban parks

Abstract

Urban parks are important components of everyday life and have important contributions to residents’ satisfaction with their neighborhoods. While the literature about urban park satisfaction has developed rapidly in some facets, it is still less comprehensible whether there is any association between hardscape color and user satisfaction in urban parks. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of hardscape elements' colors on users' satisfaction. To find the relationships between hardscape elements’ colors and users’ satisfaction, Nahj al-Balagheh Park of Tehran was selected, and a logistic regression analysis was applied to find the best fit model defining the relationships. According to the model, there are negative correlations between satisfaction and the color of paving, buildings, pergolas, canopies, and flags. The results also showed that respondents were not satisfied with the colors that contradict the harmony of the natural colors. The color of large hard elements was found to be more effective on user satisfaction compared to the small elements. The color of paving was found to have the highest level of association with satisfaction followed by the color of buildings and the least numerical value was for the color of flags. The results of this study can be useful for the rehabilitation of urban parks to enhance users’ satisfaction.