Visitor Experience in the River Corridor Greenway: A Study of Zengjiang River Greenway in Zengcheng, Guangzhou

Abstract

Recently river corridors in Guangzhou are being focused on as important natural networks in urban environment as well as cultural and recreational resources. The study area of this research is the Licheng section of the Zengjiang River Greenway. We attempt to do a comprehensive evaluation of its built environment by visitor experience. The main research contents were divided into 6 aspects: facilities, green space, signs and maps, transport, security and management, and recreational activities in external environment. Through the analysis, we identified six human dimensions of visitor experience in the studies: cleanliness, aesthetic, comfort, safety, suitability and hydrophilic property. As a result of this research, some problems on the evaluation were grasped by the hierarchy process analysis based on the above six categories. We concluded by discussing solutions of these problems, and suggested some proposals in design to meet the visitors’ requirement for the future construction of greenway. The Zengjiang River Greenway has served as a model for riparian greenways elsewhere in the Pearl River Delta.