Urban residential quarter green space and life satisfaction

Abstract

Urban green space is important for residents’ well-being, improving their physical health, psychological well-being, social benefits, and life satisfaction. Residential quarter, a gated dwelling unit with one or several residential buildings and public infrastructures shared by all residents, is a common form of residence in densely populated cities. Residential quarter green space (RQGS) is conveniently accessible to all the residents. While existing studies have investigated many types of green spaces in cities, RQGS has been overlooked to some extent. To fill this gap, we asked three questions: 1) How often do residents use RQGS? 2) How does the RQGS use frequency contribute to residents’ life satisfaction? And 3) What factors may influence their RQGS use frequency? We surveyed 7326 respondents in 78 residential quarters in Beijing, China, and recorded main characteristics of green space in these residential quarters. We employed multinomial logistic regression analysis and multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis. The results show that 84.7 % of the total respondents used RQGS at least once a week. Using RQGS at least once a week was associated with higher level of life satisfaction, which was on a scale of 1–10 where one means ‘not at all satisfied’ to ten means ‘completely satisfied’. Respondents using RQGS at least once a week were nearly 1.5 times more likely to rank life satisfaction at 8 (OR = 0.679, p < 0.01) and 9 (OR = 0.671, p < 0.01), and 1.3 times to rank at 10 (OR = 0.755, p < 0.05). Having an open space for multiple activities, a pavilion, or a shaded trail will greatly increase likelihood to use RQGS at least once a week. In addition, separating ground traffic and parking from public green space also contribute to attract more frequent users to green space in residential quarters. These findings contribute to our understanding of RQGS and would help to guide its design and management in the future.