Role of esthetic judgment on perceived safety of urban parks’ users

Current literature on urban parks shows the importance of perceived safety in increasing park use. Furthermore, visitors’ esthetic judgment must also be considered. This study confirms the relationship between the users’ esthetic judgment and perceived safety in urban parks. A questionnaire was distributed among 196 visitors of two popular urban parks in Kerman, Iran. Visitors measured six dimensions of esthetic judgment (scope, upkeep, accord, shape, local characteristics, and perceived age) and three constructs of perceived safety (Prospect, Concealment, and Entrapment). Partial least square (PLS) modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between visitors’ esthetic judgment and perception of safety. Additionally, the study revealed that among the six dimensions of esthetic judgment, the scope had the most significant effect on perceived safety. Research findings would allow policymakers, urban planners, landscape designers, architects, police, and academics to understand which factors affect users’ perceived safety in the existing or planned urban parks.