Designing Sustainable Urban Green Spaces: Audio-Visual Interaction for Psychological Restoration

Haoning Zhang, Zunling Zhu () and Da-Wei Zhang
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Haoning Zhang: College of Art & Design, Nanjing Forestry University, No.159 Longpan Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210037, China
Zunling Zhu: College of Art & Design, Nanjing Forestry University, No.159 Longpan Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210037, China
Da-Wei Zhang: Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 475000, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Urban green spaces are essential for promoting human health and well-being, especially in cities facing increasing noise pollution and ecological stress. This study investigates the effects of audio-visual interaction on restorative outcomes across three soundscape types (park, residential, and street), focusing on the compensatory role of positive visual stimuli in low-quality soundscape environments. Thirty-two university students participated in a controlled evaluation using soundscapes and corresponding visual materials derived from 30 urban green spaces. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of soundscape type and modality (auditory vs. audio-visual), as well as a significant interaction between these factors. Audio-visual conditions consistently outperformed auditory conditions, with the strongest restorative effects observed in noisy street soundscapes when paired with positive visual stimuli. Further analysis highlighted that visual cleanliness and structural clarity significantly enhanced restorative outcomes in challenging environments. These findings align with existing theories of sensory integration and extend their application to large-scale urban settings. This study shows that multi-sensory optimization can mitigate urban environmental stressors, supporting healthier, more resilient, and sustainable urban environments. Future research should explore long-term and cross-cultural applications to inform evidence-based urban planning and public health policies.

Keywords: environmental health; restorative environment; audio-visual interaction; soundscape; perceptual evaluation; landscape characteristics; human well-being; sustainable urban design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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