Assessing Public Experience of Waterfronts and Its Coupling with Urban Vitality: Evidence from Shanghai, China

Urban waterfronts are important components of urban blue-green infrastructure, supporting ecological functions and public activities. However, existing assessments often examine waterfronts from separate perspectives, limiting an integrated understanding of waterfront experience. Building upon existing research on waterfront environments, this study develops an integrated socio-ecological framework that incorporates multiple environmental and spatial attributes to assess the Public Experience of Waterfronts (PEW) across four dimensions: amenity, comfort, experiential diversity, and access equity. By applying this framework to river segments in central Shanghai, the study examines spatial variations in PEW and its spatial coordination with surrounding urban vitality within 15 min living circles. Results reveal clear differences across river groups and spatial locations. Large rivers generally exhibit higher PEW levels, while medium and small rivers show relatively lower performance. High PEW areas are mainly concentrated along major waterfront corridors, whereas urban vitality is stronger in inner urban areas and declines outward. The coordination between PEW and urban vitality follows similar spatial patterns, with large rivers showing higher coordination levels and smaller rivers more frequently experiencing spatial mismatches. These findings highlight the importance of integrated assessment of waterfront qualities and surrounding urban contexts, providing practical insights for differentiated waterfront planning and sustainable urban development.