Visitors’ perception based on five physical senses on ecosystem services of urban parks from the perspective of landsenses ecology

Urban parks not only improve the urban ecology but also provide cultural ecosystem services to city dwellers. This study investigated the relationship between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban parks and visitors’ perception of urban park from the perspective of landsenses ecology. A perceptual indicator system was developed following the analysis of landsense elements among the park elements, for four sensory dimensions. A perceptual assessment model was established using the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method, which could be used to divide the perceptual indicators into five grades. We found that the importance level of perceptual indicators was influenced by the type of park elements and the functional area of the visitors’ sensory apparatus. On the one hand, park elements that are common or can be perceived easily receive more attention. On the other hand, among the distance receptors, wider functional area might be related to the higher importance level of the perceptual indicators; the immediate receptors also have considerable influence on perception since visitors contact with the environment directly through these. The most important indicators were related to vision and touch, including ‘vision of plants’, ‘vision of water’, ‘feel of sunlight’, ‘touch of roads’, and ‘sound of animals’. Furthermore, we conducted an assessment on landsense satisfaction of a typical urban park in Beijing, suggesting ways to improve visitors’ perception of urban parks from the perspective of landsenses ecology. The assessment showed that the urban park design and management practices could be improved to increase visitors’ satisfaction.