Effects of urban space design on psychological safety implications and behaviors of residents

Abstract

With the growing awareness of mental health, urban space designers are obliged to attach equal importance to physical safety and psychological safety of residents. This paper aims to identify how urban space design affects the psychological safety implications and behaviors of residents. First, a questionnaire survey was carried out among adult residents in Zhezhou, Henan Province. Then, the survey data were descriptively analyzed according to theories on environmental psychology and environmental behavior. The results show that residents are concerned about the safety of urban space design, especially in terms of roads and illumination; the most important behavioral requirements of the residents are transportation convenience and the rendering of sports sites; most residents are not involved in urban space design, and their participation should be further promoted; the urban space design should follow such principles as people-oriented principle, attention-to-detail principle, principle ofoperability and principle of sustainability. This research highlights the necessity to consider residents' psychological safety requirements and behavioral requirements in urban space design.