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Does the Presence of Birdsongs Improve Perceived Levels of Mental Restoration from Park Use? Experiments on Parkways of Harbin Sun Island in China

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  • Xun Zhu

    (School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin 150006, China)

  • Ming Gao

    (School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin 150006, China)

  • Wei Zhao

    (School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin 150006, China)

  • Tianji Ge

    (School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin 150006, China
    China Vanke Co., Ltd., Vanke Center 33 Huanmei Road, Dameisha Yantian District, Shenzhen 518083, China)

Abstract

Green spaces in cities and urban parks serve as central areas for mental restoration and relieving pressure, and attention to soundscapes for their mental health benefits has become more prevalent. Birdsongs are perceived to enhance the restorative benefits of urban parks. This study examines Harbin Sun Island Park, the main bird habitat in the city of Harbin with numerous types of landscapes. We used space syntax to select the appropriate path space as a carrier and the pixel grid method to quantify path space shapes. A correlation analysis of field data was also used to explore the perceived restorative effects of birdsongs heard in urban parks using scales detailing the perceived restorative effects of various visual and auditory stimuli. The results show that soundscapes can significantly improve perceived recovery benefits, and that hearing birdsongs can significantly improve the perceived restorative benefits of wetland paths; the sky index of a tour path showed a significantly negative correlation with each feature (i.e., the four featured dimensions of “charm”, “escape”, “ductility” and “compatibility” included in the recovery scale), and the soft/hard ratio showed a significantly negative correlation with each studied feature. When the sky index ranged from 13–36%, tree coverage of the vertical coverage range was 30.28–38.6%, and when the soft/hard ratio ranged from 5–21, the perceived recovery benefit was strongest.

Suggested Citation

  • Xun Zhu & Ming Gao & Wei Zhao & Tianji Ge, 2020. "Does the Presence of Birdsongs Improve Perceived Levels of Mental Restoration from Park Use? Experiments on Parkways of Harbin Sun Island in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:7:p:2271-:d:338036
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Weizhen Xu & Dulai Zheng & Peilin Huang & Jiao Yu & Ziru Chen & Zhipeng Zhu & Jianwen Dong & Weicong Fu, 2022. "Does Bird Diversity Affect Public Mental Health in Urban Mountain Parks?—A Case Study in Fuzhou City, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Yanlong Guo & Ke Wang & Han Zhang & Zuoqing Jiang, 2022. "Soundscape Perception Preference in an Urban Forest Park: Evidence from Moon Island Forest Park in Lu’an City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Tong-Yu Li & Si-Yuan Guo & Bin-Xia Xue & Qi Meng & Bo Jiang & Xin-Xin Xu & Chein-Chi Chang, 2022. "Effects of Soundscape on Flow State during Diabolo Exercise," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-14, June.
    4. Joo-Young Hong & Keng Hua Chong, 2023. "Designing Public Soundscapes through Social Architecture and Soundscape Approaches: Reflective Review of Architectural Design Studio," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-24, August.
    5. Phi-Yen Nguyen & Thomas Astell-Burt & Hania Rahimi-Ardabili & Xiaoqi Feng, 2021. "Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-38, October.
    6. Ralf C. Buckley & Mary-Ann Cooper, 2022. "Tourism as a Tool in Nature-Based Mental Health: Progress and Prospects Post-Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Lin Qiao & Jingwei Zhuang & Xuan Zhang & Yang Su & Yiping Xia, 2021. "Assessing Emotional Responses to the Spatial Quality of Urban Green Spaces through Self-Report and Face Recognition Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-22, August.

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