Quality Of Urban Space Research Articles

Verification of Connection Between Legibility and Conviviality of Public Open Spaces- A Case of New Market, Bhopal

Conviviality refers to happy and friendly coexistence. Public open spaces bring people together. They are considered as convivial when people feel joyful and lively while visiting them. Several studies suggests that physical qualities of a public open space can influence their conviviality. Legibility is considered as one of the most important physical qualities of urban spaces. Due to better legibility a space becomes more visible and accessible. Therefore, legibility increases the value of a public open space as a gathering place. To understand the role of legibility in bringing conviviality to a public open space, a perception survey is carried out at eight public open spaces in New Market, Bhopal. The data gathered from the perception survey is analysed with ANOVA and correlation tests on SPSS to determine the variance and correlation between perception of people regarding ease of locating a selected open space and overall conviviality of a public open space. To measure the physical dimension of legibility of the public open space, a space syntax tool known as visibility graph analysis in depth map X software is used. The approach adopted in this study helps to understand public perception about legibility and conviviality of public open spaces and outcome is analysed with the help of space syntax tool.

A Study on Revealing the Original Spatial Character, Collective Memory of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı

One of the memory spaces mentioned by Pierre Nora, which carries the collective memory and the traces of each group and touches all walks of life, is the bazaars from the Ottoman Empire to the present. However, these bazaars have been losing their characteristics of being a “lace of memory” day by day for various reasons. One of these places is Adapazarı Uzunçarşı. It has been determined that there is no study or research on the current state of Uzunçarşı, which has undergone significant changes after the restoration in 2017 and is one of the memory places of Adapazarı. Therefore, the aim of the study is to reveal the spatial character and collective memory of Uzunçarşı, and to develop suggestions for a livable bazaar. In line with the stated purpose of the study, a four-stage path was followed. First: The analysis of the history of the settlement (Adapazarı city center commercial spaces and Uzunçarşı). Second: The current situation assessment of the Çarşı via on-site observation (Spatial character of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). Third: The analysis of the “evaluation criteria for the quality of urban space” on Uzunçarşı spaces (Spatial character of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). Fourth: In-depth interviews with 16 Uzunçarşı shopkeepers (Collective memory of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). As a result of the study, the spatial character and the collective memory of Adapazarı Uzunçarşı, its place in memory for Uzunçarşı shopkeepers, the features that the shopkeepers like/dislike and the suggestions to develop have been revealed. Using the collected data, the current features of the bazaar, especially after the restoration, were explained and interpreted by obtaining the users' views on the current state of the bazaar. As a result of the interpretation, it was determined that the users of the bazaar were dissatisfied with many aspects of Uzunçarşı after the restoration (such as making the bazaar an open place, prohibiting the use of displaying elements, problems such as insulation and the bazaar being unappealing to the customer, etc.) and in response to this, suggestions have been developed to address the spatial character of the bazaar and its place in the user's memory.

Integration of sustainable street furniture in Tunisian urban public spaces

Abstract In order to develop the quality of urban spaces, street furniture seems to be the significant element that defines the city’s social attraction points. It stimulates outdoor spaces because of its location, buildings and sidewalk meet. This study explores the issues of design criteria that introduce sustainability into street furniture design in urban public space in Tunisia. This research is based on the role of street furniture and its importance in urban public spaces, and the possibility of supplementing a recycling design. This paper aims to explore the necessary criteria to design sustainable street furniture in order to present its importance in a way that helps to ameliorate the quality of living in urban areas and cities.

Evaluating the legibility of urban parks based on neuroscience and the FVFL model

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to quantitatively evaluate the role of landscape values and factors in urban parks experimentally based on neuroscience.Design/methodology/approachIn the first step, ten major parks were selected out of 59 regional and trans-regional parks in Tehran for field study analysis. Next, considering the diversity and abundance of landscape elements in the selected parks, Mellat Park was chosen for the case study.FindingsThe fixation duration of the factors has an average correlation coefficient of 0.5865, −0.5035 and −0.5125 for the overall sketch map, quality and accuracy, respectively. The results indicated that the “quality of people's cognitive maps” has a direct relation to fixation duration on “human-made factors” and an inverse relation to fixation duration on “natural factors” and “human activities and behavioral factors” in the park.Practical implicationsThe results can pave the way for further research in the interdisciplinary fields of landscape architecture and neuroscience.Originality/valueLegibility is a superior quality of urban spaces that profoundly affect how people perceive and behave.

Social Interaction in Public Spaces and Well-Being among Elderly Women: Towards Age-Friendly Urban Environments.

The world’s population is aging and becoming more urbanized. Public space in urban areas is vital for improving the health of the elderly by stimulating social interaction. Many urban design projects are advertised as age-friendly but ignore the real needs of the elderly, especially elderly women, for social interaction in urban public spaces. Insufficient attention is paid to the physical and psychological characteristics of elderly women when shaping public space. This analysis addresses the question: What are the qualities of urban spaces which facilitate health-improving social interaction for elderly women? Methods include a case study in Beijing, field investigation, mapping, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. The survey was carried out in April 2021, and concerned 240 women aged 55–75 years. Results indicate that the social interactions of older women relate to both their physical and psychological situations. Public spaces can positively impact the psychological well-being and social participation of elderly women. Conclusions include insights regarding the relationship between social interaction and well-being among elderly women, as well as proposing a series of principles for shaping public spaces for an age-friendly urban environment.

基于三生空间质量的哈长城市群城市脆弱性时空演变格局及驱动力研究

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于三生空间质量的哈长城市群城市脆弱性时空演变格局及驱动力研究 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202106221662 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 黑龙江省自然科学基金项目(LH2019D008)；黑龙江省哲学社会科学研究规划项目(21JLE323)；国家自然科学基金项目(42171191,41771172) Patterns and Driving Forces of the Temporal-Spatial Evolution of Urban Vulnerability in Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration based on the production-living-ecological Spatial Quality Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:高质量的三生空间是城市高品质空间布局、高效率功能体现的重要保障与载体。城市群作为城市三生空间矛盾的集中地,降低其城市脆弱性,是区域可持续发展的关键。因此,基于三生空间质量的哈长城市群城市脆弱性研究对国土空间协调与稳定发展具有重要意义。以哈长城市群11个地市为研究区域,基于生产空间质量、生活空间质量、生态空间质量构建城市脆弱性评价指标体系,运用熵权-TOPSIS评价模型、ArcGIS空间分析工具以及地理探测器对2010-2018年哈长城市群城市脆弱性的时空格局演变与驱动力进行分析。研究结果表明:①在时间变化上:整体来看,2010-2018年哈长城市群城市脆弱性呈下降的趋势,城市脆弱性空间上呈"先增强后减弱"的态势。城市脆弱性高等级地区数量呈现"先增强后减弱"的趋势,而城市脆弱性指数相似地区集中分布呈现"先减弱后增强"态势。②在空间布局上:形成了II、I级区"点状零散",V、IV级区的"边缘式"的空间分布格局。空间分布呈现"随机化",无明显集聚性。从其演化趋势类型特征上看,呈发散趋势的城市多于呈收敛趋势的城市,说明哈长城市群城市脆弱性空间差异呈逐渐增大态势。③基于三生空间质量哈长城市群城市脆弱性的空间分异主要是由城市生活空间质量脆弱性的差异引起,其次是城市生产空间质量脆弱性。其中,经济增长水平不高是城市生产空间质量脆弱性的首要因素;交通设施水平不完善、燃气资源供给力度不够、城乡差距偏大、教育水平程度偏低、信息化水平低下是城市生活空间质量脆弱性的关键因素;污水处理强度、城市绿化水平和生活垃圾无害化处理强度是影响哈长城市群城市生态空间质量脆弱性的基础要素。 Abstract:High-quality production-living-ecological space is an important guarantee and carrier for high-quality urban spatial layouts and high-efficiency functions. Urban Agglomerations are the concentrated areas of urban production-living-ecological spatial conflicts. Reducing the urban vulnerability of Urban Agglomerations has become the key to regional sustainable development. Therefore, the research on the urban vulnerability of Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration based on the production-living-ecological Spatial Quality is of great significance to the coordinated and stable development of territorial space. Taking 11 cities in the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration as the research area, the urban vulnerability evaluation index system was constructed based on the quality of production space, the quality of living space and the quality of ecological space. The entropy weight-TOPSIS evaluation model, ArcGIS spatial analysis tools and geographic detectors were used to analyze the patterns and driving forces of the spatial and temporal evolution of urban vulnerability in the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration from 2010 to 2018. The research results show that: (1) The urban vulnerability of the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration presented a downward trend from 2010 to 2018, and the urban vulnerability spatially showed a trend of increasing first and then weakening. The number of high-level areas of urban vulnerability showed a trend of strengthening first and then weakening, while the concentrated distribution of areas with similar urban vulnerability indexes showed a trend of weakening first and then increasing. (2) The II and I level areas were mainly distributed in the core area, which were distributed in spots and scattered. The V and IV level areas were mainly distributed in the peripheral areas, showing a spatial pattern of widely distributed on the edge. The spatial distribution was randomized and there was no obvious agglomeration. Judging from the characteristics of the types of evolution trends, there were more cities showing a divergent trend than a convergence trend, which indicated that the spatial differences in urban vulnerability of the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration were gradually increasing. (3) Based on the production-living-ecological Spatial Quality, the spatial differentiation of the urban vulnerability of Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration was mainly caused by the difference in the vulnerability of urban living space quality, followed by the difference in the vulnerability of urban production space quality. Among them, the low level of economic growth was the primary factor for the vulnerability of urban production space quality; The imperfect transportation facilities, insufficient gas supply, large gap between urban and rural areas, low education level and low level of information were the key factors for the vulnerability of urban living space quality; The intensity of sewage treatment, the level of urban greening and the intensity of harmless treatment of domestic waste were the basic elements that affected the vulnerability of the urban ecological space quality of the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Re-designing urban open spaces to act as green infrastructure - the case of Malta

The need to strive for resilience and mitigate or adapt to climate change are increasingly at the forefront when planning for and managing urban concentrations. The planning and design of urban open spaces is integral to improving the sustainability and resilience of built environments. If urban open spaces function as urban green infrastructure they have the potential to contribute towards sustainable development, increase the resilience of our towns and cities and ultimately facilitate the potential of new scenarios for safe mobility. The poor quality of urban open spaces in Malta suggests that a ‘gap’ exists in their planning and design. The aim is to develop proposals for the planning and design of urban open spaces such that they may function as green infrastructure so as to improve their sustainability and resilience. The research also serves to identify potential barriers to adopting such an approach. Identifying and tackling such barriers is an important step in ensure places where people want to live, work and play. A ‘Mixed Method’ approach using Malta’s urban conurbation as a case study is adopted. The methodology is developed in two phases. The first phase utilises mixed data collection techniques to understand the situation. The second phase develops proposals in response to the results and uses focus group discussions to identify the barriers. The phase one results identify that existing urban open spaces in Malta are lacking in their potential to act as green infrastructure. Gaps in the planning process and policy as well as governance issues are also identified. Following a comparison with international literature, proposals are developed. These address three main themes: spatial implications; planning aspects; and governance requirements. This paper focuses on the theme concerning the spatial implications. Key planning and design principles which should be adopted, to move towards more sustainable and resilient urban spaces which facilitate sustainable mobility amongst other things, are presented. The potential barriers to implementing such an approach are identified and discussed. Ultimately, the paper concludes that determining planning and design principles is not sufficient. The barriers identified confirm that the success of redesigning urban open spaces to act as green infrastructure is not only a matter of design, but is also dependent on planning processes together with the engagement of stakeholders and suitable governance systems.

A Dynamic Study on Urban Water Resources and Ecological Recreation Space in Ganjiang River Basin

Urban ecological recreation space is an important part of overall urban ecological balance. The rational allocation of urban ecological recreation space is an important reference standard for urban livability. This paper analyzes the ecological footprint, carrying capacity, and deficit of water resources, as well as the basin city ecological stress situation, combined with a static panel data model to explore the intrinsic association between the ecological footprint of urban water resources and the urban ecology in Ganjiang River Basin. This research shows that the ecological footprint of urban water resources is within the water resource carrying capacity in Ganjiang River Basin and represents a long-term water resource ecological surplus. Ecological footprints of water resources have a positive impact on green space coverage area and park green area. The ecological footprint of water pollution has increased annually, and water pollution is the main cause of ecological pollution. On this basis, we propose to increase the prevention and control of water pollution by improving the quality of urban ecological recreation space, increasing the utilization rate of water resources and creating a new model of high-quality ecological cities.

The nature of modernization processes in the Balkans on the example of Belgrade (1878–1914)

In 1878, Serbia finally became an independent state, which forced it to take the path of modernization and transform the traditional elements of everyday life. Belgrade, being the capital of a young state, was the first to undergo a comprehensive reform. An analysis of the structure of the population of the Serbian capital helped to determine what requests citizens can form to the surrounding urban space. In the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries there was a complication of the social structure: there were representatives of the service sector, as well as representatives of professions that require special education (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.). The emerging political, military, and intellectual elites were acquiring features that were different from the typical Belgrade residents and strived to satisfy new needs for leisure. Responding to the requests of the capital’s residents, the Serbian authorities and the city administration tried to change the face of the city. Thus, measures were taken to improve the quality and cleanliness of streets and urban spaces. A system of urban public transport started shaping. New buildings in the city center were built in the European style, the housing stock of the city was gradually improved. The authorities passed new laws that regulated the construction of private houses in order to combat uncontrolled construction of inadequate quality. Belgrade, as the capital of independent Serbia, had to develop in accordance with state objectives and with the ideas of modernization that dominated the country, preserving the traditional elements of its everyday life and at the same time striving for European innovations.

Современные особенности развития комфортной городской среды в малых городах Калининградской области

Given the issue of balanced socio-economic development of the entire territory of the Ka­liningrad region, an important task is to improve the quality of life in small towns in the re­gion, as they serve as supporting elements for the regional settlement frame. Attracting feder­al and extrabudgetary funds could be seen as an effective tool in the context of a local budget deficit. To date, improving the quality of urban spaces has been possible due to participation in the all-Russian competition for the best projects for creating a comfortable urban environ­ment, which has been held since 2018. Having accumulated competencies in working on com­petitive project applications, and participating in numerous cross-border cooperation pro­grams, Kaliningrad group actively and very effectively join in this competition, which has already changed the quality of the urban environment. Many small towns of the Kaliningrad region are on the list of federal leaders among the places with the most comfortable urban en­vironment. This circumstance directly improves the possibilities of such cities in attracting investors, maintaining high-quality labor resources and the possibility of expanding their own regional socio-economic specialization.

Changing the Qualities of Urban Space by Means of Landscape Architecture

The relevance of the subject is dictated by the growing need to satisfy the physical and mental demands of city residents and create locations with high aesthetic and functional qualities. The purpose of the study is to examine the main modern trends in the design of urban landscape objects, formed since the 1990s in terms of their compliance with modern concepts of sustainable development, landscape urbanism, and urban ecology. The study analyses a number of experimental, explorative, and implemented projects of landscape objects, created to determine, emphasise, or create a new identity of local places in the historically formed structure of cities (on the example of the cities of Lviv, Lutsk, Kamianets-Podilskyi). The monographic and analytical methods were used in the study. A graphic method was used to determine the attractiveness of objects. The study establishes the following characteristic feature of historical cities: in old parts of cities, the effective concepts of landscape proposals are based on the expression of local identity. For example, it was found that the square near St. Andrew's Church in Lviv features garden and park art of the Baroque epoch, the public space project at the intersection of St. Prince Roman and I. Franka streets in Lviv conveys a compilation of historical features of different epochs. The second characteristic feature established in this study: in the degraded environment of peripheral neighbourhoods (investigated examples in Lviv and Lutsk), the proposed modern forms and geoplastics work well. It was also confirmed in various examples, such as the reconstruction of Mytna Square in Lviv, and the volunteer movement in Kamianets-Podilskyi, that successful intervention in the transformation of urban public spaces contributes to the growth of the quality of these spaces and the improvement of the city's image. The design concepts of the urban environment with a multi-layered complex structure of both natural and cultural elements are valuable and recommended for implementation. The history of city development during the Soviet period eliminated their specific features. Today, the restoration and creation of landscape objects allows for preserving and emphasising the uniqueness of cities

PERSEPSI PENGUNJUNG TERHADAP KUALITAS REST AREA TAMAN GISTING SEBAGAI RUANG PUBLIK

Public space is part of the urban element that facilitates the interaction and communication needs of the society and describes the quality of urban space. The provision of public space affects social, economic, environmental and community quality activities, so a quality public space is needed. Parks as public spaces in Tanggamus Regency have not been evenly distributed because they are only available in 3 sub-districts, namely Taman Kota Ir. Soekarno (Kota Agung Pusat District), Rest Area Taman Gisting (Gisting District), and Rest Area Pugung (Pugung District) showed that the provision of public space had not met the distribution and quantity aspects. Rest Area Taman Gisting is located in Gisting Urban, which acts as a public space, so it is necessary to identify its quality because it has to serve the surrounding sub-districts. In addition, the declining quality of facilities and various other problems affect its quality as a public space. This study aims to determine the visitor's perception of the quality of the Gisting Park Rest Area as a public space. This study uses quantitative research methods with descriptive statistical analysis techniques and scoring methods (Likert scale). Based on the results of the study, visitors' perceptions of the quality of the Rest Area Taman Gisting as a public space are sufficient to meet the needs of visitors, sufficient to protect the rights of visitors, and sufficient to provide meaning for visitors.
 
 Keywords: Quality, Public Space, Perception

Enabling quality of urban spaces in Cairo\u2019s new suburban settlements: a community character approach for New Cairo, Egypt

A global concern claims that activities and functions that once filled traditional public spaces are privatized being less and less oriented to the public. In Cairo’s new settlements, public spaces don’t seem to contribute to its public life. Each community’s most valuable assets are the ones they already have; thus, urbanisms advocate the role of retaining traditional street patterns, vistas, and landscape of a community’s distinct character. The research aim is to identify design attributes to be added to the literature in terms of designing public spaces for the specific cultural context of Cairo, Egypt, and its new suburban settlements. The methodology then follows a comparative analysis study to reach the desired objectives of buildings a community character approach. In an exploratory method, two case studies of public spaces in Cairo are chosen following a purposive selection most relevant to the study. The target is to choose two cases in proximity for users to be familiar with the two of them and enable a reliable comparison. It then conducts a survey that involves the user’s evaluation of their public spaces in correlation to their needs. Jan Gehl’s twelve criteria are adopted by this paper’s field investigation for the assessment of public spaces’ quality. Findings of the study include an elaboration on Jan Gehl’s twelve criteria either by highlighting the importance of existing aspects or the addition of further criteria that showed value to public space quality and their users. The findings provide guidelines that help in designing quality public spaces in Cairo’s new settlements. The added value from this study is in identifying a set of factors or attributes that consider users’ needs for a given cultural context.

Sustainable Mobility and Urban Space Quality: The Case of Granada, Spain

Sustainable Mobility and Urban Space Quality: The Case of Granada, Spain

The uses of Peunayong culinary riverwalk for open space: an observation

The role of public open space as one of the city elements can give its own character, and in general has the function of social interaction for the community. Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk is one of the public open spaces that is used as a waterfront recreation area in Banda Aceh City. The location of the Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk is on the riverbank of the Krueng Aceh river which flows through the center of Banda Aceh City and is a strategic area of the city as the center of the Old City. Before transformed into a Culinary Peunayong Riverwalk, this area is abandoned and used as a slum empty space due to the impact of different orientations. Currently the river transportation orientation route is starting to be abandoned which causes increased access to circulation route on the land. The construction of Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk has shift the image of the city to be much better. However the government of the city is still yet optimally developed the Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk which can be seen from the availability of several facilities that have not been fulfilled, for instance is the lacking of parking lot which force the visitors to use the road as a parking lot and results in traffic jam. This is one of the causes of the poor quality of Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk as a public open space and will have an impact on the quality of urban space and the image of the city as a whole. With those problems at hands, this article will discuss further regarding the quality of Peunayong Culinary Riverwalk as a successful public open space based on four PPS criteria, namely uses & activities; access & linkages; comfort & image; and sociability [9]. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The data from this research were obtained from the results of field observations and will be analysed by coding.

Urban space in transit area of South Sumatra light rail transit in Palembang

A new transportation system built in Palembang, the South Sumatra Light Rail Transit (otherwise known as LRT Sumsel), stretches along the road corridor from Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II Airport to the Jakabaring Sport City Palembang. In practice, a city needs criteria that must be met to develop a city properly. One of the urban development approaches is Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), an approach that emphasizes not only transit accessibility but also a sustainable environment. Therefore, in developing a city that has mass transportation, TOD calls forth the integration of all transportation modes with the elements of the city. This is closely related to the design of urban space at the transit area and how to achieve the concept of TOD. This research was conducted to find out whether the space around the South Sumatra LRT transit area has properly fulfilled the TOD concept. To achieve the success of Palembang City development, the complexity of TOD and the quality of urban space must be integrated. The goals of this research were to identify the elements of urban space in the transit area. The South Sumatra LRT station is the case study in this research employing descriptive qualitative methods using observation, stakeholder interview, and literature study. The results of the study point out that LRT Sumsel must highlight the availability of parking and attributes, which can allow more frequent transit activities. This research hopes that it can provide consideration for the development of the city of Palembang in terms of architecture and transportation utilization.

FORMATION OF A MODEL OF URBAN SPACE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT

A significant theoretical and methodological basis for the formation of public spaces as a condition for successful urban development is processed with globalization processes considered, existing contradictions and prospects are outlined. The problems of rethinking the common spaces of historic cities, updating the architectural environment, creating public communication spaces, forming new integrated functional areas, development of post-industrial territories are relevant. Architectural science and practice are aimed at achieving the goal of sustainable development in ensuring openness, security, social activity and environmental sustainability of cities, the formation of principles of economic and social stability without harming the environment, the implementation of digital technologies.
 Concepts of modern city’s development from urbanism’s perspective, tendencies of urban territories’ renewal in terms of economic and social changes, models of non-automotive space are considered. The concept of the new urbanism emphasizes urban living quality backed by multi-functionality and saturation of urban environment, modern forms of architecture and planning. The quality of urban space implies the maximum realization of residents’ needs, providing opportunities for communication and social activity. It is found that public (open, community) spaces should be formed on humanistic principles, guided by social needs, be multi-functional, accessible, comfortable and safe, promote various activities of all social and age groups throughout the day, offer quality architectural and design solutions.
 There has been noted the positive role of international projects of Ukrainian cities’ integrated development in strengthening the social diversity of urban architectural space, increasing the activity of citizens, significant economic results.

Place quality in high-speed rail station areas: Concept definition

High-speed railway (HSR) station areas are expected to benefit urban environments, not simply as transportation or economic hubs but also as urban places contributing to living quality. However, the relationship between HSR and place quality has not received systematic attention, despite the evolution of urban planning paradigms toward a clearer focus on quality of life. We have reviewed 44 academic articles written between 1996 and 2019 and analyzed concepts of place quality spanning the disciplines of urban design, urban planning, and urban economics. We identified three dimensions commonly associated with quality of place: a spatial dimension associated with aesthetic qualities of urban spaces; a socio-cultural dimension associated with experienced “sense of place”; and an economic dimension associated with the agglomeration of economic activities. Then we worked out these three dimensions in the context of HSR station areas and attributed features accordingly. We concluded that the economic dimension far outweighs the others in academic debates, with dominant theories being primarily concerned with land use, accessibility, and economic performance. Studies from the urban design field have tackled the spatial elements of place quality and showed a strong correlation with economic dimension. However, the literature remains insufficiently developed when it comes to addressing user experience and “sense of place.”

Designing Cities Through Sound

Sound shapes space. However, the architectural training of designers usually prioritizes visual aspects of a building or urban space without considering the sonic environment and auditory responses of humans who may engage or occupy the built environment. The concept of the “soundscape” brings together the visual and sonic environments, allowing designers to develop more nuanced, responsive, and effective spaces (Southworth, 1967, pp. 6-8)
 Acousticians define soundscape as “a person’s perceptual construct of the acoustic environment of that place” (Kang & Schulte-Fortkamp, 2017, p. 5). People’s interpretation of auditory sensations can lead to either positive or negative feelings regarding that specific place. Because urban spaces include both a great number of sound sources and a high number of people occupying and moving through them, the sonic environments and urban soundscapes are complex, layered, and dense.
 This research evaluates the sonic qualities of urban spaces to provide designers with a means by which these complex environments can be better understood, analyzed, and created. It draws on an expanding body of research in architectural acoustics, and direct observation of cities in the United States and Italy conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than relying solely on numeric calculations, this work probes the notion of the “perceptual construct,” seeking to make visual these constructs. Drawings and photographs from different cities are used to study the form of the city through urban edges and the emerging concept of green acoustics. The work provides a way of creating a new architecture of public space through the lens of the sonic environment.

Restorative benefits of urban green space: Physiological, psychological restoration and eye movement analysis

Urban life is associated with a range of health risks. However, urban green spaces have been found to promote health recovery and reduce mental stress. This study sought to assess the influence of the spatial and environmental characteristics of urban green space on environmental restoration. We measured physiological and psychological changes among 60 participants to evaluate the restorative benefits of 12 green spaces in Shenyang. The Perceived Restorativeness Scale and two physiological measures (heart rate variation and skin conductance response) were used to analyze the effects of spatial characteristics on restorative benefits. In addition, eye-tracking was used to explore the influence of environmental components on restorative benefits. The results revealed that, although there were slight differences between physiological and psychological findings, both confirmed that urban green space had a restorative benefit. Partially-open green spaces with a high degree of naturalness had more positive effects than open green spaces with a high degree of hard paved spaces. Eye movement analysis results revealed that trees and shrubs, as well as water, had a positive effect on the environmental restoration benefits, whereas buildings and paving had a negative effect. Among environmental features, trees and shrubs, water, and buildings exerted the strongest effects on environment restoration. In the future, combining spatial characteristics and environmental components will aid improvement of the restorative qualities of urban green space.