Quality analysis and categorisation of public space

M Lorenzo; M L Ríos-Rodríguez; E Suárez; B Hernández; C Rosales

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13861

Quality analysis and categorisation of public space

Heliyon. 2023 Feb 23;9(3):e13861. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13861. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

M Lorenzo^{1

2}, M L Ríos-Rodríguez³, E Suárez¹, B Hernández¹, C Rosales¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cognitive, Social and Organizational Psychology, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain.
² Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, Valladolid, Spain.
³ Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and E.A.O., Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.

Abstract

Public spaces are considered areas that promote users' physical and mental health. The role of these people in public spaces makes it necessary to evaluate such areas. In this study, 12 urban parks on the island of Tenerife were evaluated, combining the assessment of a trained observer and the perception of users, to analyse and categorise the environmental quality of the parks. The findings of this study conclude that users are good evaluators of public spaces; that the Public Space Characteristics Observation Questionnaire (PSCOQ) tool allows the classification of public spaces and that physical order is capable of predicting the environmental quality and the restorative capacity of spaces, as perceived by users. The PSCOQ observation tool makes it possible to detect the strengths and weaknesses of public spaces so they can be improved and adapted to the needs of users.

Keywords: Perceived Environmental Quality; Quality assessment of public spaces; Restorative capacity; Space care and design; Urban parks.