The Relationship Between Urban Park Landscape Perception and Place Attachment in Park City, China

Based on the Park City concept proposed by the Chinese government in response to rapid urbanization, urban parks should be constructed to be open and shared to enhance place attachment. Research indicates that visitors’ perceptions of urban green space benefit their management and people’s quality of life. However, how the landscape perception of urban parks is associated with residents’ place attachment is poorly understood. This study aimed to gain more empirical insights into the associations between the perceived quality of urban parks and the two components of public place attachment (i.e., place dependence and place identity) in Park City, China. An online survey collected 237 questionnaires from Huancheng Park visitors in Chengdu City (the pilot city of the Park City concept). The questionnaire included three parts: demographic characteristics, landscape perception (i.e., nature, serene, space, refuge, culture, prospect, and social), and a place attachment scale. Factor analysis and regression analyses were subsequently conducted. The results indicated that (1) landscape perception is more able to affect place identity than place dependence, (2) the dimensions of landscape perception (excluding space and social) had a significant positive effect on place attachment and place identity, and (3) the dimensions of landscape perception (except serene) had a significant positive effect on place dependence. Therefore, during construction, nature, culture, prospect, and space dimensions of urban park landscape perception should receive more attention to enhance the public sense of identity and belonging and promote Park City’s sustainable development.