Urban Green Parks for Long-Term Subjective Well-Being: Empirical Relationships between Personal Characteristics, Park Characteristics, Park Use, Sense of Place, and Satisfaction with Life in The Netherlands

Mayke van Dinter, Mieke Kools, Gamze Dane, Minou Weijs-Perrée, Kynthia Chamilothori, Eveline van Leeuwen, Aloys Borgers and Pauline van den Berg
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Mayke van Dinter: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Mieke Kools: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Gamze Dane: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Minou Weijs-Perrée: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Kynthia Chamilothori: Human-Technology Interaction, School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Eveline van Leeuwen: Urban Economics, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
Aloys Borgers: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Pauline van den Berg: Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: As our living environment is becoming increasingly urbanized, this puts the livability, health, and quality of life in cities under pressure. Due to the urbanization process, urban green spaces are under threat of becoming scarce, while it is recognized that these green spaces can positively contribute to the subjective well-being of citizens. It is thus important to maximize the use and benefits derived from green spaces by designing them as positively experienced places. The aim of this research is to gain more empirical insights on the relationships between personal and park characteristics, park use behavior, sense of place, and park visitors’ long-term subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction). An online questionnaire was administered to participants in two medium-sized cities in The Netherlands, namely Eindhoven and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Data were analyzed using a structural equation model. The results of this study show that the appreciation of facilities and the absence of disturbances positively influence the use and sense of place of a park. Furthermore, the findings show that sense of place has a positive influence on life satisfaction. The findings can be used by designers and policy-makers as guidelines to improve existing parks or to design new parks that support the subjective well-being of individuals in The Netherlands.

Keywords: urban green parks; sense of place; park use behavior; subjective well-being; satisfaction with life; structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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