Assessing the Perceived Restorativeness and Supply–Demand Alignment of Pocket Parks in High-Density Cities

As essential components of urban green spaces, pocket parks play a critical role in enhancing residents’ mental restoration in high-density cities. Taking six representative pocket parks in Guangzhou as a case study, this study developed a 16-indicator evaluation framework based on Perceived Sensory Dimension (PSD) theory. The supply–demand balance of restorative environments in pocket parks was investigated via questionnaire surveys (n = 276, primarily aged 18–45 of the urban working population), expert assessments, and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA). Results showed that respondents strongly prioritized “vegetation coverage,” “spatial openness,” and “safe stayability.” Furthermore, the high–stress group exhibited higher preferences for specific restorative attributes (e.g., “spatial openness,” “undisturbed environment,” and “cultural expression”). The IPA results revealed a structural supply–demand mismatch: High-restorative-benefit attributes such as “spatial openness” and “visual permeability” fell into the low-performance quadrant, requiring urgent improvement, whereas lower-benefit features such as “public activities” showed relatively high performance. Based on these findings, this study proposes targeted optimization strategies to guide the health-oriented renewal and sustainable management of pocket parks and to provide empirical evidence for evidence-based design of urban green space systems in high-density cities.