Sustainable Urban Landscape Quality: A User-Perception Framework for Public Space Assessment and Development

Yanyan Huang (), Lanxin Ye and Ye Chen ()
Additional contact information
Yanyan Huang: School of Civil Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Lanxin Ye: School of Civil Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Ye Chen: School of Civil Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-25

Abstract: With rapid urbanization, enhancing the quality of public spaces is critical to residents’ well-being and sustainable urban development. However, user perceptions of these spaces remain insufficiently quantified. This study introduces a perception-based evaluation framework encompassing four dimensions: service, spatial, cultural, and aesthetic. A three-dimensional importance-performance analysis (3-D IPA) model is applied to assess two multifunctional public spaces in Wuhan—the Citizens’ Home (CH) and the Creative World Industrial Park (CWIP)—with the aim of identifying user-prioritized attributes that inform sustainable design interventions. The findings reveal the following: (1) At CH, spatial perception (importance = 3.93; performance = 4.02) received the highest ratings, particularly for openness and ecological pavement, highlighting areas for green infrastructure improvement. (2) At CWIP, cultural perception (importance = 3.75; performance = 3.73) dominated, with a need to enhance the signage systems and cultural integration for greater place identity. (3) Optimization priorities included energy-efficient lighting, entrance enhancements, and recreational layout improvements at CH, and thematic diversity and wayfinding systems at CWIP. (4) The 3-D IPA framework effectively identifies user-perceived priorities and supports experience-driven, resource-conscious spatial improvements. This study provides a user-centered, data-informed approach for evaluating and optimizing urban public spaces, offering practical strategies to align spatial quality with long-term sustainability goals.

Keywords: urban landscape quality; user perception; public space optimization; three-dimensional importance-performance analysis (3-D IPA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/3992/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/3992/ (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:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:9:p:3992-:d:1645132

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

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