Stress is a prevalent issue in modern cities, exacerbated by urban development and significantly affecting urban dwellers. While it is known that greenery can contribute to people’s wellbeing, it is unclear if it can mitigate the negative effects of urban development. In this study, we aim to explore the intricate dynamics between urban form and greenery to dissect their collective effect on human wellbeing, operationalized through physiological relaxation, preference, and emotional responses. The study employs an experimental study design using virtual reality technology to immerse participants (n=156) into residential neighborhood scenes, and measures affective and cognitive responses using skin conductance measures and a survey, respectively. In general, the findings confirm the critical role of urban greenery on affective and cognitive responses. Interestingly, we observe that this effect is highly dependent on the context and shows diverging patterns between different neighborhood types. In particular, in certain neighborhoods (popular, 60 s, and cooperative), greenery, no matter if species-poor or biodiverse, consistently improves preference and physiological relaxation. In contrast, urban centers and single-family residential areas may accommodate more biodiverse green spaces without compromising their existing high preference levels when compared to less affluent neighborhoods. The study concludes with a call for urban planning to cultivate equitable, green, and distinctively designed urban environments. This shift underscores the critical role of innovative urban design in improving the wellbeing of urban dwellers.

中文翻译：

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探索城市形态和绿化在居民情感和认知反应中的相互作用


压力是现代城市中普遍存在的问题，城市发展加剧了压力，并严重影响了城市居民。虽然众所周知，绿色植物可以促进人们的福祉，但目前尚不清楚它是否能减轻城市发展的负面影响。在这项研究中，我们旨在探索城市形态和绿色植物之间错综复杂的动态，以剖析它们对人类福祉的集体影响，通过生理放松、偏好和情绪反应来实施。该研究采用使用虚拟现实技术的实验研究设计，让参与者 （n=156） 沉浸在住宅区场景中，并分别使用皮肤电导测量和调查来测量情感和认知反应。总的来说，研究结果证实了城市绿化对情感和认知反应的关键作用。有趣的是，我们观察到这种效应在很大程度上取决于环境，并显示了不同邻域类型之间的不同模式。特别是，在某些社区（流行、60 年代和合作）中，绿色植物，无论是物种贫乏还是生物多样性，都会持续改善偏好和生理放松。相比之下，与不太富裕的社区相比，城市中心和单户住宅区可以容纳更多生物多样性的绿色空间，而不会影响其现有的高偏好水平。该研究最后呼吁城市规划营造公平、绿色和独特设计的城市环境。这种转变凸显了创新城市设计在改善城市居民福祉方面的关键作用。