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. 2022 Dec 24;20(1):263.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010263.

The Vitality of Public Space and the Effects of Environmental Factors in Chinese Suburban Rural Communities Based on Tourists and Residents

Jie Zheng  1 , Junjun He  1 , Hongya Tang  1   2
Affiliations

The Vitality of Public Space and the Effects of Environmental Factors in Chinese Suburban Rural Communities Based on Tourists and Residents

Jie Zheng et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The vitality of public space in rural communities is an important symbol of rural revitalization, especially in suburban rural communities. Previous studies focused on rural industries and ignored the effects of the spatial environment on different groups of people. Hence, this study takes the public space of suburban rural communities as an example and uses Global Positioning System (GPS) and cognitive mapping data to establish a new vibrancy assessment system for tourists and residents, respectively. The effects of the public space environment and space vitality in suburban rural communities are revealed through ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models. The results suggested that: (I) There were pronounced seasonal changes and spatial distribution differences in the space vitality of tourists, while residents were concentrated in fixed public spaces. (II) For tourists, the public space vitality in rural communities was affected by seven factors, including accessibility, seats, green looking ratio, recreational facilities, water area, plant species richness, and plant color composition. Green looking ratio and water area had a negative impact. For residents, the public space vitality in rural communities was affected by five factors, including shelter facilities, seats, accessibility, space type, fitness facilities. Only fitness facilities had a negative effect. Our research proposed a feasible and effective method to assess the vitality of rural public space in rural communities, and the finding from this study provides significant implications for the development and planning of suburban rural communities oriented by vitality.

Keywords: environmental factors; public space; space vitality; suburban rural community.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Resident Cognitive Questionnaires.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Location map of Shecun Community, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province (a). Geographic Location of the Study Area (b) Shecun Community.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The layout of the Shecun Community and Public Space.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Analysis Framework.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Public Space Vitality—Residents.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Four Seasons Public Space Vitality—Tourists.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Spatial Patterns of Regression Coefficients between Tourist Vitality and the Factors of Environment.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Spatial Patterns of Regression Coefficients between Resident Vitality and the Factors of Environment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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