The influence of green spaces on residents’ subjective well-being in older neighborhoods
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30822/arteks.v11i3.5243Kata Kunci:
Green space perception, Grounded theory, Older neighborhoods, Place attachment, Subjective well-beinAbstrak
Against the overlapping forces of rapid urban renewal and population aging, green spaces in older neighborhoods lack a mechanism-based explanation, grounded in situational experience, for how daily use translates these spaces into subjective well-being. This study examines older neighborhoods in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province. Using semi-structured in-depth interview data, it applies grounded theory through open, axial, and selective coding and conducts a theoretical saturation test. The analysis identifies the key elements and action logics by which neighborhood green spaces influence residents’ subjective well-being. Finally, it constructs a process-mechanism model “perceptual support—practice embedding—recovery accumulation—attachment generation.” The research findings are as follows: (i) Residents’ core evaluation of green spaces is primarily guided by “daily availability” (ii) Use of green spaces is characterized by high frequency, fragmentation, and accumulativeness within daily life; (iii) Subjective well-being does not arise directly from spatial attributes. Rather, through the cumulative accrual of micro-restorative experiences it gradually crystallizes into Subjective Well-Being. This study elucidates the dynamic mechanisms by which green spaces emerge in older neighborhoods, tracing pathways from spatial conditions to psychological benefits. It expands a process-based explanatory framework and offers both a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for well-being oriented renewal strategies for older neighborhoods.
Unduhan
Referensi
Azmeer, Amjad, Furqan Tahir, and Sami G. Al-Ghamdi. 2024. “Progress on Green Infrastructure for Urban Cooling: Evaluating Techniques, Design Strategies, and Benefits.” Urban Climate 56 (July):102077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.102077.
Blanchflower, David G., and Andrew J. Oswald. 2004. “Well-Being over Time in Britain and the USA.” Journal of Public Economics 88 (7–8): 1359–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2727(02)00168-8.
Chu, Shengzhi, Weizhen Xu, Danyin Zhang, Jingsong Lin, Jiang Liu, Shuhu Liu, and Xin-Chen Hong. 2026. “Urban Blue-Green Spaces and Tranquility: A Comprehensive Review of Noise Reduction and Sensory Perception Integration.” Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering 25 (3): 2455–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2481238.
Chun Tie, Ylona, Melanie Birks, and Karen Francis. 2019. “Grounded Theory Research: A Design Framework for Novice Researchers.” SAGE Open Medicine 7 (January). https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312118822927.
Collins, Rebecca M., Rebecca Spake, Kerry A. Brown, Booker O. Ogutu, Dianna Smith, and Felix Eigenbrod. 2020. “A Systematic Map of Research Exploring the Effect of Greenspace on Mental Health.” Landscape and Urban Planning 201 (September):103823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103823.
Dai, Chenyang, Sreetheran Maruthaveeran, Mohd Fairuz Shahidan, and Yichun Chu. 2023. “Usage of and Barriers to Green Spaces in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: A Case Study in Shi Jiazhuang, Hebei Province, China.” Forests 14 (2): 435. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020435.
Delgado-Serrano, María Mar, Katarína Melichová, Isotta Mac Fadden, and Catalina Cruz-Piedrahita. 2024. “Perception of Green Spaces’ Role in Enhancing Mental Health and Mental Well-Being in Small and Medium-Sized Cities.” Land Use Policy 139 (April):107087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107087.
Dennis, M., and P. James. 2016. “User Participation in Urban Green Commons: Exploring the Links between Access, Voluntarism, Biodiversity and Well Being.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 15:22–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2015.11.009.
Diener, Ed. 1984. “Subjective Well-Being.” Psychological Bulletin 95 (3): 542–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542.
Diener, Ed. 1994. “Assessing Subjective Well-Being: Progress and Opportunities.” Social Indicators Research 31 (2): 103–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01207052.
Diener, Ed, and Micaela Y. Chan. 2011. “Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well‐Being Contributes to Health and Longevity.” Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 3 (1): 1–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2010.01045.x.
Diener, Ed, Marissa Diener, and Carol Diener. 1995. “Factors Predicting the Subjective Well-Being of Nations.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 69 (5): 851–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.851.
Dong, Hongwei, and Bo Qin. 2017. “Exploring the Link between Neighborhood Environment and Mental Wellbeing: A Case Study in Beijing, China.” Landscape and Urban Planning 164 (August):71–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.04.005.
Ellaway, Anne, and Sally Macintyre. 1998. “Does Housing Tenure Predict Health in the UK Because It Exposes People to Different Levels of Housing Related Hazards in the Home or Its Surroundings?” Health & Place 4 (2): 141–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353-8292(98)00006-9.
Hartig, Terry, Richard Mitchell, Sjerp de Vries, and Howard Frumkin. 2014. “Nature and Health.” Annual Review of Public Health 35 (1): 207–28. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182443.
Huang, Jiaxin, Yimin Song, Ying Sheng, Yuqing Zhang, and Di Hu. 2024. “Restorative Potential Assessment of Public Open Space in Old Urban Communities in the Context of Aging—A Case Study of Dabeizhuang Community in Maanshan, China.” Buildings 14 (9): 2671. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092671.
Islam, Azharul, Nayanesh Pattnaik, Md. Moktader Moula, Thomas Rötzer, Stephan Pauleit, and Mohammad A. Rahman. 2024. “Impact of Urban Green Spaces on Air Quality: A Study of PM10 Reduction across Diverse Climates.” Science of The Total Environment 955 (December):176770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176770.
Jennings, Viniece, Alessandro Rigolon, Jasmine Thompson, Athena Murray, Ariel Henderson, and Richard Schulterbrandt Gragg. 2024. “The Dynamic Relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban Green Space in Diverse Communities: Opportunities and Challenges to Public Health.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21 (6): 800. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060800.
Ji, Rong, Yuqian Sheng, Caiqi Zheng, and Weichao Chen. 2025. “The Impact of Cultural Leisure Activities Participation on Older Adults’ Subjective Well-Being: An Empirical Study in China.” BMC Public Health 25 (1): 3686. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24986-1.
Kothencz, Gyula, Ronald Kolcsár, Pablo Cabrera-Barona, and Péter Szilassi. 2017. “Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14 (7): 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070766.
Lai, Shulin, Yuquan Zhou, and Yuan Yuan. 2021. “Associations between Community Cohesion and Subjective Wellbeing of the Elderly in Guangzhou, China—A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Structural Equation Model.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (3): 953. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18030953.
Lewicka, Maria. 2011. “On the Varieties of People’s Relationships With Places.” Environment and Behavior 43 (5): 676–709. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916510364917.
Li, Hong, Na Ta, Bailang Yu, and Jiayu Wu. 2023. “Are the Accessibility and Facility Environment of Parks Associated with Mental Health? A Comparative Analysis Based on Residential Areas and Workplaces.” Landscape and Urban Planning 237 (September):104807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104807.
Li, Qianwen, and Manuel B. Aalbers. 2025. “The Rise of China’s Private Rental Sector: Housing Policy Reforms through the Lens of Neoliberalism.” Housing Studies, October, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2025.2568511.
Liang, Yishuang, Queena K. Qian, Bo Li, Yaning An, and Lei Shi. 2025. “A Critical Assessment on China’s Old Neighborhood Renovation: Barriers Analysis, Solutions and Future Research Prospects.” Energy and Buildings 332 (April):115407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115407.
Liu, Ye, Tong Xiao, and Wenjie Wu. 2022. “Can Multiple Pathways Link Urban Residential Greenspace to Subjective Well-Being among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults?” Landscape and Urban Planning 223 (July):104405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104405.
Lopez-Haro, Jorge, Lino Francisco Jacobo Gómez-Chávez, Adrián Ricardo Pelayo-Zavalza, and Joaquín Fernando Gómez-Varela. 2024. “Association between Active Use of Urban Green Spaces and Well-Being in Adults Aged 18–65 Years: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Health and Pollution 12 (1–4). https://doi.org/10.1289/JHP1040.
Maas, Jolanda, Sonja M.E. van Dillen, Robert A. Verheij, and Peter P. Groenewegen. 2009. “Social Contacts as a Possible Mechanism behind the Relation between Green Space and Health.” Health & Place 15 (2): 586–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.09.006.
Maas, Jolanda, Robert A Verheij, Peter P Groenewegen, Sjerp de Vries, and Peter Spreeuwenberg. 2006. “Green Space, Urbanity, and Health: How Strong Is the Relation?” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 60 (7): 587–92. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.043125.
Markevych, Iana, Julia Schoierer, Terry Hartig, Alexandra Chudnovsky, Perry Hystad, Angel M. Dzhambov, Sjerp de Vries, et al. 2017. “Exploring Pathways Linking Greenspace to Health: Theoretical and Methodological Guidance.” Environmental Research 158 (October):301–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.06.028.
Nordh, Helena, Chaham Alalouch, and Terry Hartig. 2011. “Assessing Restorative Components of Small Urban Parks Using Conjoint Methodology.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 10 (2): 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2010.12.003.
Oswald, Andrew J., and Stephen Wu. 2010. “Objective Confirmation of Subjective Measures of Human Well-Being: Evidence from the U.S.A.” Science 327 (5965): 576–79. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1180606.
Poortinga, Wouter, Jaiden Denney, Kirsty Marie Kelly, Rebecca Oates, Rhiannon Phillips, Helen Oliver, and Britt Hallingberg. 2024. “Associations of Reported Access to Public Green Space, Physical Activity and Subjective Wellbeing during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 97 (August):102376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102376.
Pressman, Sarah D., and Sheldon Cohen. 2005. “Does Positive Affect Influence Health?” Psychological Bulletin 131 (6): 925–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.925.
Putnam, Robert D. 2000. “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.” In Culture and Politics, 223–34. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-62965-7_12.
Rey-Gozalo, Guillermo, Juan Miguel Barrigón Morillas, David Montes González, and Rosendo Vílchez-Gómez. 2023. “Influence of Green Areas on the Urban Sound Environment.” Current Pollution Reports 9 (4): 746–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-023-00284-5.
Scannell, Leila, and Robert Gifford. 2010. “Defining Place Attachment: A Tripartite Organizing Framework.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 30 (1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.006.
Shin, Jong Cheol, Kaustubh Vijay Parab, Ruopeng An, and Diana S. Grigsby-Toussaint. 2020. “Greenspace Exposure and Sleep: A Systematic Review.” Environmental Research 182 (March):109081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.109081.
Steptoe, Andrew, Angus Deaton, and Arthur A Stone. 2015. “Subjective Wellbeing, Health, and Ageing.” The Lancet 385 (9968): 640–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61489-0.
Strauss, Anselm, and Juliet Corbin. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. 2nd ed. SAGE Publications.
Tella, Rafael Di, Robert J MacCulloch, and Andrew J Oswald. 2001. “Preferences over Inflation and Unemployment: Evidence from Surveys of Happiness.” American Economic Review 91 (1): 335–41. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.1.335.
Twohig-Bennett, Caoimhe, and Andy Jones. 2018. “The Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Greenspace Exposure and Health Outcomes.” Environmental Research 166 (October):628–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.030.
Ulrich, Roger S., Robert F. Simons, Barbara D. Losito, Evelyn Fiorito, Mark A. Miles, and Michael Zelson. 1991. “Stress Recovery during Exposure to Natural and Urban Environments.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 11 (3): 201–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80184-7.
Wan, Calvin, Geoffrey Qiping Shen, and Stella Choi. 2021. “Underlying Relationships between Public Urban Green Spaces and Social Cohesion: A Systematic Literature Review.” City, Culture and Society 24 (March):100383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2021.100383.
Wang, Ruoyu, Yuxiao Jiang, Dongwei Liu, Huiwen Peng, Mengqiu Cao, and Yao Yao. 2025. “Is Perceived Safety a Prerequisite for the Relationship between Green Space Availability, and the Use and Perceived Comfort of Green Space?” Wellbeing, Space and Society 8 (June):100247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2025.100247.
Williams, Daniel R., and Jerry J. Vaske. 2003. “The Measurement of Place Attachment: Validity and Generalizability of a Psychometric Approach.” Forest Science 49 (6): 830–40. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/49.6.830.
Wolch, Jennifer R., Jason Byrne, and Joshua P. Newell. 2014. “Urban Green Space, Public Health, and Environmental Justice: The Challenge of Making Cities ‘Just Green Enough.’” Landscape and Urban Planning 125 (May):234–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.017.
Xian, Zheng, Tomoki Nakaya, Kun Liu, Bing Zhao, Junhua Zhang, Jiao Zhang, Yuxuan Lin, and Jinguang Zhang. 2024. “The Effects of Neighbourhood Green Spaces on Mental Health of Disadvantaged Groups: A Systematic Review.” Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 11 (1): 488. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02970-1.
Xie, Xiangxiang, and Zenong Wang. 2024. “The Impact of Place Attachment on the Environmentally Responsible Behavior of Residents in National Park Gateway Communities and the Mediating Effect of Environmental Commitment: A Case of China National Park.” Frontiers in Psychology 15 (August). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1386337.
Xie, Yuting, Shujun Fan, Yana Luo, Jiaxin Li, Yidan Zhang, Lixin Hu, Huiling Qiu, et al. 2024. “Credibility of the Evidence on Green Space and Human Health: An Overview of Meta-Analyses Using Evidence Grading Approaches.” EBioMedicine 106 (August):105261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105261.
Xu, Zhengyang, Sofia Marini, Mario Mauro, Pasqualino Maietta Latessa, Alessia Grigoletto, and Stefania Toselli. 2025. “Associations Between Urban Green Space Quality and Mental Wellbeing: Systematic Review.” Land 14 (2): 381. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020381.
Yang, Bo-Yi, Tianyu Zhao, Li-Xin Hu, Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Joachim Heinrich, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Bin Jalaludin, et al. 2021. “Greenspace and Human Health: An Umbrella Review.” The Innovation 2 (4): 100164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100164.
Yin, Jie, Jittakon Ramanpong, Jin Chang, Chih-Da Wu, Pei-Hua Chao, and Chia-Pin Yu. 2023. “Effects of Blue Space Exposure in Urban and Natural Environments on Psychological and Physiological Responses: A within-Subject Experiment.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 87 (September):128066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128066.
Zahnow, Renee. 2024. “Social Infrastructure, Social Cohesion and Subjective Wellbeing.” Wellbeing, Space and Society 7 (December):100210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2024.100210.
Zhang, Shengxi, Liting Liu, Xianhua Fang, Guangchong Chen, and Shengbin Ma. 2025. “Barriers to the Renewal of Old Residential Communities in High-Density Urban Areas: Evidence from China.” Sustainability 17 (23): 10745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310745.
Zhang, Yana, Azizan Marzuki, Bingliang Song, Feifei Zhang, Jiasheng Zhou, Quan Wen, Dahuai Zhao, Qingxin Zhang, and Haixin Liu. 2025. “Influencing Factors of Residents’ Subjective Well-Being in Rural Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Licha Village in Guangdong, China.” Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, December, 025340068. https://doi.org/10.36922/JCAU025340068.
Zhou, Wen, Wendong Yu, Ziyi Zhang, Wei Cao, and Tao Wu. 2023. “How Can Urban Green Spaces Be Planned to Mitigate Urban Heat Island Effect under Different Climatic Backgrounds? A Threshold-Based Perspective.” Science of The Total Environment 890 (September):164422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164422.
Unduhan
Diterbitkan
Terbitan
Bagian
Lisensi
Hak Cipta (c) 2026 Yana Zhang, Azizan Marzuki, Bingliang Song, Quan Wen, Jiasheng Zhou, Dahuai Zhao, Qingxin Zhang

Artikel ini berlisensiCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

























