Chenyang Dai’s research while affiliated with Universiti Putra Malaysia and other places

River corridors, recognized as “blue–green infrastructure,” have become a crucial support system for urban sustainability in contemporary urbanized societies. Understanding the factors influencing the recreational experience along urban river corridors is paramount for enhancing visitors’ health and well-being. This study focuses on the Hutuo River Corridor in Shijiazhuang, China, collecting 3006 valid reviews from Dianping, a prominent review platform. We developed a text-based thematic model and conducted content analysis using this dataset. The main social (visiting time, duration of stay, motivation, safety, and visitors’ types and activities) and physical (natural elements, artificial facilities, maintenance and management, accessibility, distance, models of transportation, weather, and seasons) factors associated with recreational experiences were identified. We assessed visitor perceptions of urban river corridors and elucidated facilitators or barriers through textual content analysis in reviews. The results indicate the feasibility of employing social media data to study visitors’ recreational experiences along urban river corridors. This comprehensive exploration from a qualitative ecological perspective contributes valuable insights for urban planning and management. Moreover, the findings hold significant implications for understanding the usage patterns of river corridors in China and potentially in other countries.

Landscape preference and cognition are essential in determining the external environment’s subjective reflections. Although much research has been conducted on landscape preferences, there is still a lack of information on landscape perceptions and preferences among residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods, especially in Chinese cities. Taking old residential neighbourhoods of Shijiazhuang as an example, this paper used a large-scale questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews to determine the landscape preference of the residents of old residential neighbourhoods for the community green spaces using the virtual model method. The chi-square test method is used to explore the inner logic of aesthetic preference from two aspects: landscape characteristics and socio-demographic characteristics. The respondents are 668 residents of old residential neighbourhoods (300 males, 368 females) distributed in four larger communities in the main urban area of Shijiazhuang. Random sampling and volunteer sampling were used to choose the survey respondents. The results showed this: (1) In terms of soft landscapes, respondents prefer natural planting, spaces with very high plant richness and high green coverage. In terms of hard landscapes, there is a preference for fitness and leisure facilities, rubber floors and a slight preference for water features and decorative landscape elements. (2) From the chi-square results, age significantly affects landscape preference, gender and education level. In contrast, marital status and occupation have no significant effect on landscape preference. The expression of the landscape preference of the residents of old residential neighbourhoods reflects the needs for functionality, reality and local concept. The main aim of this study is to fully understand the landscape preferences of residents in old residential neighbourhoods when using green space, and to find out what factors will affect residents’ landscape preferences. The research results have guiding significance for rationally improving the landscape planning, design and management of old residential neighbourhoods, and at the same time make up for the lack of international research on landscape preferences of disadvantaged communities. Improving the environment of old residential neighbourhoods can develop a higher sense of security, happiness and satisfaction among the residents.