Subjective Preference and Visual Attention to the Attributes of Ornamental Plants in Urban Green Space: An Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

Visual attributes of greenery strongly affect the attention and preferences of people. We invited 90 volunteers to participate in a study on the subjective rating and eye tracking on the landscape attributes of greenery to determine the relationship between subjective preference and visual attention to the visual attributes of greenery. The results showed that the subjective ratings of Tree + shrub + grass (IV-A), blue flower (II-A), red flower (II-B), pink flower (II-C), broad-leaved tree (I-C), and bamboo (I-E) were relatively high, belonging to the high rating group. The random forest model showed that the fixation count could indicate a subjective preference. People generate visual attention by fixating on attractive visual attributes with high subjective ratings.

How does the landscape uniformity in different forest landscapes affect the visual behavior and preference evaluation intention of participants—a case study of forest landscape in northern China (Liaoning)

“…Gao et al (2020) found that landscape type significantly influenced visual behavior and preference, while iconic elements and interesting landscape elements of scenes easily aroused people's visual appeal. Zheng et al (2022) pointed out that the visual attributes of green plants strongly influence people's attention preference. People have a high subjective rating for trees + shrubs + grass, blue flowers, red flowers, pink flowers, broad-leaved trees, and bamboo.…”

Correlation between Vegetation Landscape and Subjective Human Perception: A Systematic Review

“…The relevant literature in these countries has been primarily focused on common parks and urban green spaces. However, over time, some studies have begun to focus on ornamental plants [101], individual trees [85], and leaves [63] in recent years. Based on previous research, the vast majority of studies have focused on large-scale spatial configurations of vegetation characteristics and the composition of landscape elements, but in recent years, scholars have explored the significance of specific elements on the perceived benefits to humans.…”

“…Meanwhile, some studies reported conflicting results. For example, [101] concluded that a multi-layered vegetation composition structure was most preferred by people through landscape enrichment and an enhanced sense of safety. Differently, it has also been indicated that monolayer woodland has the highest landscape preference scores for high thermal comfort and the provision of communicative activities [66].…”

“…This concept involves the overall coordination and balance of a region or locality's landscape in terms of its structure, function, and aesthetics. [58,84] Correlation between perceived preference and perceived visual aesthetics - [101] Correlation between perceived preference and restoration benefits - [99] Correlation between perceived visual aesthetics and restoration benefits - [56] Correlation between perceived preference and perceived safety - [108] Correlation between perceived safety and restoration benefits - [124] Figure A1. The correlation between landscape vegetation and perceived safety.…”