Effects of perceived physical and aesthetic quality of urban blue spaces on user preferences-A case study of three urban blue spaces in Japan.

Blue spaces, especially as important urban natural environments, provide various benefits. Despite the increasing number of relevant papers, most recent studies have focused on the association between blue space environmental quality and health, with limited research assessing the environmental quality and user preferences of urban blue spaces. This study establishes a relationship between preference and environmental quality by investigating visitors' perception of the environmental quality of urban blue spaces (physical and aesthetic). For this purpose, 296 questionnaires were collected from three urban blue spaces and a multiple linear regression analysis was executed. Model results indicated that six of nine environmental quality components had a significant effect on preference scores, with "harmony" demonstrating the highest and "visual spaciousness & diversity" the lowest effect. The current study shown that two scales provided were used to measure users' perceived levels of the physical and aesthetic quality of the Urban Blue Spaces were acceptable. These results can help in the effective use of these natural capitals in cities and provide guidance for the environmental design of blue spaces.