Landscape characteristics of university campus in relation to aesthetic quality and recreational preference

• Published in: Urban forestry & urban greening Vol. 66; p. 127389
• Main Authors: Wang, Ronghua, Jiang, Wuxian, Lu, Tianshu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.12.2021
• Subjects: Aesthetic quality; Campus landscape; Coexistence; Recreational activity; Recreational activity; Campus landscape; Coexistence; Aesthetic quality
• ISSN: 1618-8667; 1610-8167
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127389

•Campus landscape with natural waterscape and high vegetation coverage enhances the coexistence of aesthetic and recreational preference.•Campus landscape with more natural elements are suitable for passive recreational activities.•Campus hardscape is better for walking, and open space encourages gathering.•Higher aesthetic quality promotes outdoor activities, and vice versa. Campus landscape provides multifold functions, including aesthetic appreciation, recreational activities, ecological protection, etc., in which aesthetic appreciation and recreational activities are important for college students. However, the issues on which landscape characteristics can enhance the coexistence of aesthetic quality and recreational preference, thereby guiding campus landscape design, are poorly understood by existing literature. To address this knowledge gap, twenty sites of campus landscapes in Xuzhou, a medium-sized city in eastern China were selected to evaluate the aesthetic quality and recreational preference through online surveys. Then the coexistence of aesthetic quality and recreational preference was calculated. In addition, 10 landscape characteristics which were abstracted to describe the objective features of the sites were judged quantitatively. The main results indicated that: (1) campus landscape containing natural bank in waterscape had higher aesthetic quality and suitable for carrying out some passive recreational activities such as reading, meditation and enjoying the scenery; (2) landscape with more hardscapes encouraged walking and open spaces had a high potential for gathering; (3) “natural bank of water” and “percentage of vegetation coverage” were the reliable predictors for the coexistence of aesthetic quality and recreational preference; (4) the aesthetic quality of campus landscape could promote outdoor recreational activities, and vice versa. In practice, increasing vegetation coverage and natural waterscape on campus would improve both aesthetic quality and recreational preference.