Spatial Patterns of Urban Green-Blue Spaces and Residents’ Well-Being: The Mediating Effect of Neighborhood Social Cohesion

Xinrui Wang, Libin Ouyang, Jian Lin, Pengfei An, Wanjing Wang, Lin Liu and Longfeng Wu ()
Additional contact information
Xinrui Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
Libin Ouyang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
Jian Lin: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
Pengfei An: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
Wanjing Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
Lin Liu: Institute of Governance, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Ave., Qingdao 266237, China
Longfeng Wu: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, No.100, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Urban green-blue spaces (UGBS) can benefit residents’ well-being through multiple pathways. Previous studies have confirmed that the quantity and composition of UGBS can promote neighborhood social cohesion, which subsequently contributes to residents’ physical and mental health. However, there has been little attention paid to the spatial patterns of UGBS in such relationships. This study adopted landscape pattern indexes to characterize the spatial patterns of UGBS and explored the mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ well-being, measured by self-rated health (SRH) and happiness. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used for analyses with data obtained from the 2018 Shandong Provincial Social Survey Questionnaire (SGSS), which included 773 selected residents in urban areas. The results indicated that (1) there was a mediation effect of neighborhood social cohesion between the spatial patterns of UGBS and residents’ SRH and happiness; (2) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had greater impacts on enhancing neighborhood social cohesion than the size, complexity, and fragmentation; (3) the aggregation and diversity of UGBS had indirect effects on improving happiness and SRH, and the aggregation of UGBS had a direct positive effect on SRH. By focusing on the spatial patterns of UGBS and neighborhood social cohesion, this study extends current debates on the pathways among UGBS, social cohesion, and public health. Urban planning strategies were proposed to increase the benefits of UGBS in urban areas.

Keywords: UGBS; spatial pattern; self-rated health; happiness; neighborhood social cohesion; landscape metrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1454/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1454/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:7:p:1454-:d:1198946

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().