Measuring the Effects of Streetscape Characteristics on Perceived Safety and Aesthetic Appreciation of Pedestrians
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 149, Issue 3
Abstract
Streets provide necessary infrastructure in cities, but urban residents rarely have the opportunity to choose a good street and avoid a bad one. Therefore, it is crucial to construct safe and beautiful streetscapes for users, especially pedestrians. This work explores the impact of streetscape characteristics under both daylight and night-time conditions, extracted from photographs, on the perceived safety and aesthetic appreciation of pedestrians in Xuzhou, China. The results show the following. (1) Perceived safety and aesthetic appreciation in the daytime are significantly greater than at night. (2) The higher the percentage of buildings and motor vehicles in the photographs, the lower the perceived safety. The higher the percentage of vegetation, the greater the aesthetic appreciation. (3) Illuminating pedestrians’ immediate surroundings is conducive to improving the perceived safety of pedestrians. Finally, this paper suggests improvements to the perceived safety and aesthetic quality of streetscapes in the daytime and at night. These can be used to facilitate improved city streetscape design. However, these results should be used cautiously as the use of photograph-based analysis may not fully reflect the in situ situation.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
We thank the 593 participants who completed the surveys in our trials. This research is supported by Natural Science Research of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (19KJB220007).
References
Akpinar, A. 2016. “Factors influencing the use of urban greenways: A case study of Aydn, Turkey.” Urban For. Urban Greening 16: 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.02.004.
Andrews, M., and B. Gatersleben. 2010. “Variations in perceptions of danger, fear and preference in a simulated natural environment.” J. Environ. Psychol. 30 (4): 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.04.001.
Appleton, J. 1996. The experience of landscape. London: Wiley.
Asakawa, S., K. Yoshida, and K. Yabe. 2004. “Perceptions of urban stream corridors within the greenway system of Sapporo, Japan.” Landscape Urban Plann. 68: 167–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00158-0.
Azgarzadeh, M., A. Lusk, T. Koga, and K. Hirate. 2012. “Measuring oppressiveness of streetscapes.” Landscape Urban Plann. 107 (1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.04.001.
Baran, P., P. Tabrizian, Y. Zhai, J. Smith, and M. Floyd. 2018. “An exploratory study of perceived safety in a neighborhood park using immersive virtual environments.” Urban For. Urban Greening 35: 72–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.08.009.
Blöbaum, A., and M. Hunecke. 2005. “Perceived danger in urban public space: The impacts of physical features and personal factors.” Environ. Behav. 37 (4): 465–486. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916504269643.
Bonthoux, S., S. Chollet, I. Balat, N. Legay, and L. Voisin. 2019. “Improving nature experience in cities: What are people’s preferences for vegetated streets?” J. Environ. Manage. 230: 335–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.056.
Boyce, P. 2019. “The benefits of light at night.” Build. Environ. 151: 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.020.
Coleman, A., R. Ryan, T. Eisenman, D. Locke, and R. Harper. 2021. “The influence of street trees on pedestrian perceptions of safety: Results from environmental justice areas of Massachusetts, U.S.” Urban For. Urban Greening 64: 127258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127258.
Crow, T., T. Brown, and R. De Yong. 2006. “The Riverside and Berwyn experience: Contrasts in landscape structure, perceptions of the urban landscape, and their effects on people.” Landscape Urban Plann. 75 (3): 282–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.04.002.
Dong, W., X. Cao, X. Wu, and Y. Dong. 2019. “Examining pedestrian satisfaction in gated and open communities: An integration of gradient boosting decision trees and impact-asymmetry analysis.” Landscape Urban Plann. 185: 246–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.012.
Falchi, F., P. Cinzano, C. Elvidge, D. Keith, and A. Haim. 2011. “Limiting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment and stellar visibility.” J. Environ. Manage. 92: 2714–2722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.06.029.
Foster, S., B. Giles-Corti, and M. Knuiman. 2010. “Neighbourhood design and fear of crime: A social-ecological examination of the correlates of residents’ fear in new suburban housing developments.” Health Place 16 (6): 1156–1165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.07.007.
Fotios, S., A. Liachenko-Monteiro, and J. Uttley. 2018. “Evaluation of pedestrian reassurance gained by higher illuminances in residential street using the day-dark approach.” Light Res. Technol. 51 (4): 14771535187754.
Gobster, P., J. Nassauer, T. Daniel, and G. Fry. 2007. “The shared landscape: What does aesthetics have to do with ecology?” Landscape Ecol. 22: 959–972. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-007-9110-x.
Guan, C., J. Song, M. Keith, B. Zhang, Y. Akiyama, J. Liu, R. Shibasaki, and T. Sato. 2021. “Seasonal variations of park visitor volume and park service area in Tokyo: A mixed-method approach combining big data and field observations.” Urban For. Urban Greening 58 (2): 126973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126973.
Gulwadi, G. B., E. D. Mishchenko, G. Hallowell, S. Alves, and M. Kennedy. 2019. “The restorative potential of a university campus: Objective greenness and student perceptions in Turkey and the United States.” Landscape Urban Plann. 187: 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.003.
Gwedla, N., and C. M. Shackleton. 2019. “Perceptions and preferences for urban trees across multiple socio-economic contexts in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.” Landscape Urban Plann. 189: 225–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.05.001.
Haans, A., and Y. Kort. 2012. “Light distribution in dynamic street lighting: Two experimental studies on its effects on perceived safety, prospect, concealment, and escape.” J. Environ. Psychol. 32 (4): 342–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.05.006.
Harvey, C., L. Aultman-Hall, S. E. Hurley, and A. Troy. 2015. “Effects of skeletal streetscape design on perceived safety.” Landscape Urban Plann. 142: 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.05.007.
He, H., X. Lin, Y. Yang, and Y. Lu. 2020. “Association of street greenery and physical activity in older adults: A novel study using pedestrian-centered photographs.” Urban For. Urban Greening 55: 126789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126789.
Huang, D., B. Jiang, and L. Yuan. 2022. “Analyzing the effects of nature exposure on perceived satisfaction with running routes: An activity path-based measure approach.” Urban For. Urban Greening 68: 127480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127480.
Huang, W., and P. Wang. 2018. ““All that’s best of dark and bright”: Day and night perceptions of Hong Kong cityscape.” Tourism Manage. 66: 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.12.006.
Hur, M., and J. L. Nasar. 2014. “Physical upkeep, perceived upkeep, fear of crime and neighborhood satisfaction.” J. Environ. Psychol. 38: 186–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.02.001.
Jacobs, J., 1961. The death and life of great American cities. New York: Random House.
Jansson, M., H. Fors, T. Lindgren, and B. Wiström. 2013. “Perceived personal safety in relation to urban woodland vegetation – A review.” Urban For. Urban Greening 12 (2): 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.01.005.
Jiang, L., M. Masullo, L. Maffei, F. Meng, and M. Vorländer. 2018. “How do shared-street design and traffic restriction improve urban soundscape and human experience? -An online survey with virtual reality.” Build. Environ. 143: 318–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.07.005.
Joglekar, S., D. Quercia, M. Redi, L. Aiello, T. Kauer, and N. Sastry. 2020. “Facelift: A transparent deep learning framework to beautify urban scenes.” R. Soc. Open Sci. 7 (1): 190987. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190987.
Johansson, M., E. Pedersen, P. Maleetipwan-Mattsson, L. Kuhn, and T. Laike. 2014. “Perceived outdoor lighting quality (POLQ): A lighting assessment tool.” J. Environ. Psychol. 39: 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.002.
Junge, X., B. Schüpbach, T. Walter, B. Schmid, and P. Lindemann-Matthies. 2015. “Aesthetic quality of agricultural landscape elements in different seasonal stages in Switzerland.” Landscape Urban Plann. 133: 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.09.010.
Kaplan, R., and S. Kaplan. 1989. The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ki, D., and S. Lee. 2021. “Analyzing the effects of Green View Index of neighborhood streets on walking time using Google Street View and deep learning.” Landscape Urban Plann. 205: 103920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103920.
Kirillova, K., X. X. Fu, X. R. Lehto, and L. P. Cai. 2014. “What makes a destination beautiful? Dimensions of tourist aesthetic judgment.” Tourism Manage. 42: 282–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.12.006.
Landis, J. R., and G. G. Koch. 1977. “The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data.” Biometrics 33: 159–174. https://doi.org/10.2307/2529310.
Li, Y., C. Ailin, Z. Yangling, Z. Nianyu, H. Xiaoyang, and W. Jinpeng. 2016. “Research on the assessment indicators for crime prevention lighting in residential areas based on AHP and entropy weight.” MATEC Web Conf. 61: 04009. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20166104009.
Lis, A., U. Pardela, W. Can, A. Katlapa, and L. Rabalski. 2019. “Perceived danger and landscape preferences of walking paths with trees and shrubs by women.” Sustainability 11: 4565. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174565.
Liu, J., Y. Wang, C. Zimmer, J. Kang, and T. Yu. 2019. “Factors associated with soundscape experiences in urban green spaces: A case study in Rostock, German.” Urban For. Urban Greening 37: 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.11.003.
Lynch, K. 1960. The image of the city. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Ma, X., C. Ma, C. Wu, Y. Xi, R. Yang, N. Peng, C. Zhang, and F. Ren. 2021. “Measuring human perceptions of streetscapes to better inform urban renewal: A perspective of scene semantic parsing.” Cities 110: 103086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.103086.
Mak, B. K. L., and C. Y. Jim. 2018. “Examining fear-evoking factors in urban parks in Hong Kong.” Landscape Urban Plann. 171: 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.11.012.
Manning, R., E. Rovelstad, C. Moore, J. Hallo, and B. Smith. 2015. “Indicators and standards of quality for viewing the night sky in the national parks.” Park Sci. 32 (2): 9–17.
Maslow, H. 1954. Motivation and personality. New York: Harper.
MOHURD (Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development). 2009. Code for lighting design of urban nightscape. Beijing: China Architecture& Building Press.
MOHURD (Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development). 2019. Planning standard for urban comprehensive transportation system. Beijing: China Architecture& Building Press.
Mullaney, J., T. Lucke, and S. J. Trueman. 2015. “A review of benefits and challenges in growing street trees in paved urban environments.” Landscape Urban Plann. 134: 157–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.10.013.
NBS (National Bureau of Statistics). 2021. China statistical yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press.
Rossetti, T., H. Lobel, V. Rocco, and R. Hurtubia. 2019. “Explaining subjective perceptions of public spaces as a function of the built environment: A massive data approach.” Landscape Urban Plann. 181: 269–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.09.020.
Semenzato, P., T. Sievänen, O. E. Silveirinha, A. Luisa Soares, and R. Spaeth. 2011. “Natural elements and physical activity in urban green space planning and design.” In Forests, trees and human health, edited by K. Nilsson, M. Sangster, C. Gallis, T. Hartig, S. Vries, K. Seeland, and J. Schipperijn, 245–282. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Sims-Gould, J., D. L. Race, N. Vasaya, and H. A. A. McKay. 2019. “A new urban greenway in Vancouver, British Columbia: Adolescents’ perspectives, experiences and vision for the future.” J. Transp. Health 15: 100620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.100620.
Smardon, R. C. 1988. “Perception and aesthetics of the urban environment: Review of the role of vegetation.” Landscape Urban Plann. 15: 85–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-2046(88)90018-7.
Stahle, L., and S. Wold. 1989. “Analysis of variance (ANOVA).” Chemom. Intell. Lab. Syst. 6 (4): 259–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-7439(89)80095-4.
Troy, A., J. Grove, and J. O’Neil-Dunne. 2012. “The relationship between tree canopy and crime rates across an urban–rural gradient in the greater Baltimore region.” Landscape Urban Plann. 106 (3): 262–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.03.010.
Ulrich, R. S. 1979. “Visual landscapes and psychological wellbeing.” Landscape Res. 4: 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397908705892.
Ulrich, R. S. 1983. “Aesthetic and affective response to natural environment.” In Human behavior and environment, Vol. 6: Behavior and natural environment, edited by I. Altman and J. Wohlwill, 85–125. New York: Plenum.
Van den Berg, A., Y. Joye, and S. Koole. 2016. “Why viewing nature is more fascinating and restorative than viewing buildings: A closer look at perceived complexity.” Urban For. Urban Greening 20: 397–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.011.
Verma, D., A. Jana, and K. Ramamritham. 2020. “Predicting human perception of the urban environment in a spatiotemporal urban setting using locally acquired street view images and audio clips.” Build. Environ. 186: 107340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107340.
Völker, S., and T. Kistemann. 2013. ““I’m always entirely happy when I’m here!” Urban blue enhancing human health and well-being in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany.” Social Sci. Med. 78: 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.047.
Wang, R., W. Jiang, and T. Lu. 2021. “Landscape characteristics of university campus in relation to aesthetic quality and recreational preference.” Urban For. Urban Greening 66: 127389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127389.
Wang, R., and J. Zhao. 2017. “Demographic groups’ differences in visual preference for vegetated landscapes in urban green space.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 28: 350–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.10.010.
Wang, R., and J. Zhao. 2019. “A good sound in the right place: Exploring the effects of auditory-visual combinations on aesthetic preference.” Urban For. Urban Greening 43: 126356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.05.018.
Wang, R., and J. Zhao. 2020. “Effects of evergreen trees on landscape preference and perceived restorativeness across seasons.” Landscape Res. 45 (5): 649–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2019.1699507.
Wang, R., J. Zhao, M. Meitner, Y. Hu, and X. Xu. 2019. “Characteristics of urban green spaces in relation to aesthetic preference and stress recovery.” Urban For. Urban Greening 41: 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.005.
Wang, X., J. Yang, C. Lee, Z. Ji, and S. You. 2016. “Macro-level safety analysis of pedestrian crashes in Shanghai, China.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 96: 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.07.028.
Xiao, J., M. Tait, and J. Kang. 2018. “A perceptual model of smellscape pleasantness.” Cities 76 (6): 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.01.013.
Xiao, Y., D. Wang, and J. Fang. 2019. “Exploring the disparities in park access through mobile phone data: Evidence from Shanghai, China.” Landscape Urban Plann. 181: 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.09.013.
Xuzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics. 2021. Xuzhou statistical yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press.
Zhang, H., and S. Lin. 2011. “Affective appraisal of residents and visual elements in the neighborhood: A case study in an established suburban community.” Landscape Urban Plann. 101: 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.12.010.
Zhao, J., and Y. Huang. 2021. “Physical characteristics of urban green spaces in relation to perceived safety.” J. Urban Plann. Dev. 147 (4): 05021032. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000742.
Zhao, J., Y. Huang, H. Wu, and B. Lin. 2018. “Olfactory effect on landscape preference.” Environ. Eng. Manage. J. 17 (6): 1483–1489. https://doi.org/10.30638/eemj.2018.147.
Zhao, J., G. Liu, and X. Li. 2023. “Comparison of the restorative quality of green spaces between the evening and daytime.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Urban Des. Plann. 176 (2): 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1680/jurdp.22.00024.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 149 • Issue 3 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 18, 2022
Accepted: Mar 20, 2023
Published online: May 24, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Oct 24, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Aesthetics
- Architectural engineering
- Building design
- Building systems
- Business management
- Computer vision and image processing
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Infrastructure
- Light (natural)
- Methodology (by type)
- Pedestrians and cyclists
- Photography
- Practice and Profession
- Public administration
- Public health and safety
- Safety
- Streets
- Traffic engineering
- Transportation engineering
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.