Understanding how people perceive landscapes is essential for the design of forest landscapes. The study investigates how design intensity affects landscape complexity, preference, and eye movements for urban forest settings. Eight groups of twenty-four pictures, representing lawn, path, and waterscape settings in urban forests, with each type of setting having two groups of pictures and one group having four pictures, were selected. The four pictures in each group were classified into slight, low, medium, and high design intensities. A total of 76 students were randomly assigned to observe one group of pictures within each type of landscape with an eye-tracking apparatus and give ratings of complexity and preference. The results indicate that design intensity was positively associated with subjective landscape complexity but was positively or negatively related to objective landscape complexity in three types of settings. Subjective landscape complexity was found to significantly contribute to visual preference across landscape types, while objective landscape complexity did not contribute to preference. In addition, the marginal effect of medium design intensity on preference was greater than that of low and high design intensity in most cases. Moreover, although some eye movement metrics were significantly related to preference in lawn settings, none were found to be indicative predictors for preference. The findings enrich research in visual preference and assist landscape designers during the design process to effectively arrange landscape design intensity in urban forests.

The enhancement of the urban forest landscape through vegetation colorization has emerged as a continuous concern for urban managers in southern Chinese cities. However, the understanding of how designers can effectively select the appropriate form and intensity of colorization design to align with users’ aesthetic preferences remains limited. The process of visual perception is closely intertwined with eye movements. Employing visualization techniques, this research aims to investigate the impact of colorization design on aesthetic benefits and eye movements in urban forests, considering four intensities (slight, low, medium, and high) and three forms (aggregate, homogeneous, and random). A total of 183 participants (with an average age of 23.5 ± 2.5 years) were randomly assigned to three groups to assess the aesthetics score, while eye-tracking devices were utilized to record eye movement behaviors. The outcomes indicate that a homogeneous design form and a moderate intensity of landscaping yield higher scenic benefits for urban forests. In the case of canopy landscape, both the form and intensity of landscaping have a significant influence on urban forest aesthetics. The HCI with aggregate form showed the best marginal effect (1.313). In contrast, MCI showed the best marginal effect when the design form was random and homogeneous (1.438, 1.308). Furthermore, although the form and intensity of the colorization design significantly affect eye exploration, the perception of landscape aesthetics does not correlate with eye movements. These findings provide valuable insights for design policies aimed at promoting the urban forest landscape, while also contributing to the enrichment of research in landscape perception studies employing eye-tracking technology.

Numerous researchers have demonstrated the positive impacts of urban green spaces on human physiology and psychology. In mountainous urban regions, mountains have often been preserved as green spaces during urban sprawl, owing to the limited costs associated with development. While the landscape elements of these mountain parks exhibit differences depending on their locations, the nature and effects of such differences on the public’s physiological and psychological perceptions remain unclear. Therefore, we employed panoramic cameras and semantic segmentation (PSPNet-based training algorithm) to analyze the composition of landscape elements in mountain parks along an urban gradient (i.e., urban areas [UA], suburban areas [SA], and exurban areas [EA]). Concurrently, open-ended questionnaires and portable physiological monitors (ErgoLAB 3.0 Portable physiological monitoring equipment) were utilized to examine relationships between specific landscape elements and the public’s physiological and psychological responses. Our findings revealed that: (1) Urban park landscapes possessed high proportions of paved areas, humanistic vibe, vegetation hierarchy, and vegetation color richness, alongside lower scene clutter; suburban mountain park landscapes were characterized by heightened contemporary ambiance and wide viewshed area; and exurban mountain park landscapes exhibited high green view indices, expansive water surfaces, broad view area, and low scene clutter. (2) HRV and EMG differed significantly between mountain parks situated across the urban gradient. EMG also significantly varied across landscape types. All four psychological perception metrics showed significant distinctions across the three urban gradients and three green space categories. It further highlighted the importance of naturalness perception in urban mountain parks. (3) Viewshed area, average sight distance, architecture, enclosure, humanistic vibe, contemporary elements, vegetation color richness, trees and shrubs, distant hills, and scene clutter showed significant effects on both physiological and psychological outcomes. However, the application of these findings needs additional refinement tailored to the typology of the landscape. (4) To provide practical insights for constructing diverse green space typologies, we employed partial correlation modeling to eliminate covarying factors and developed a perception feedback model for public physiological and psychological indicators. Our findings elucidate relationships between landscape elements and the benefits of urban forests for public physiology and psychology. By shedding light on these connections, we further understand how landscape elements shape human perceptions of mountainous urban forests. These results offer valuable insights for shaping policies that promote favorable urban forest landscapes while also advancing landscape perception research through the use of semantic segmentation and portable physiological monitoring.

Individuals’ preferences for urban forest scenes are an essential factor in the design process. This study explores the connection between landscape design intensity, visual preferences, and eye fixations in urban forest scenes. Five pictures representing different urban forest scenes (plaza, lawn, garden path, pond, and rockery) were selected as stimuli, representing the original landscape design intensity. Three additional levels of design intensity (low, moderate, and high) were created by modifying the landscape elements of the original picture. A group of 50 participants was randomly assigned to observe the four levels of design intensity pictures within each type of landscape using eye-tracking technology. They also rated their preferences for each scene. In total, 250 participants took part in the study, with five groups observing five types of urban forest scenes. The results indicate that landscape design intensity has a positive impact on visual preferences, with moderate design intensity showing the strongest effect. However, the influence of design intensity and preferences also depends on the specific landscape scene. The fixation data did not show a significant relationship with design intensity but were associated with the type of landscape scene. In conclusion, this study suggests that moderate design intensity is recommended for urban forest design. However, it also highlights the importance of considering the specific landscape scene type. The research provides valuable insights into urban forest design and contributes to the understanding of eye-tracking technology in landscape perception studies.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals undergoing healthcare-related quarantine often experience heightened anxiety and stress. While biophilic indoor environments have shown potential in reducing stress, their effectiveness within healthcare quarantine settings remains uncertain. Additionally, the economic value associated with implementing biophilic interventions in healthcare environments remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the effects of biophilic interventions in indoor quarantine environments on the perceived outcomes of individuals (such as preference, perceived restorativeness, and satisfaction) and their willingness-to-pay (WTP). Participants were asked to imagine themselves in quarantine and were subsequently assigned to one of four indoor rooms, each featuring a different level of biophilic intervention (non-biophilic, low, medium, and high indoor green). Their perceived outcomes and WTP were then evaluated. The findings consistently demonstrated that incorporating biophilic interventions had a significantly positive impact on perceived outcomes and WTP compared with non-biophilic interventions within healthcare quarantine settings. Among the three levels of biophilic intervention, high indoor green spaces had the highest influence, while low indoor green spaces had the lowest. Moreover, perceived restorativeness consistently played a role in influencing WTP across all three biophilic indoor rooms. Further analysis indicated that a medium level of biophilic intervention would be more advantageous and practical in the design of healthcare indoor environments. This study offers valuable insights into both the monetary and nonmonetary values of biophilic interventions in healthcare settings, aiding designers in selecting appropriate biophilic designs to create enhanced restorative indoor environments.