IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i13p5576-d1425515.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Traditional Regionalism or Modern Minimalism? Unveiling the Psychological Impact of Architectural Styles in Sustainable Urban Planning

Author

Listed:
  • Zihao Cao

    (School of the Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia)

  • Muhizam Mustafa

    (School of the Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Hafizal Mohd Isa

    (School of Housing Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia)

Abstract

Life satisfaction is one of the key indicators of people’s well-being. However, the choice between traditional regionalism and modern minimalism in urban planning remains controversial from a human-centered perspective. Using a sample of 438 respondents from Huangshan City in 2024, we explored the relationships between architectural style, general belongingness, social identity, and life satisfaction through structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate significant correlations among the four variables in the model, with general belongingness and social identity acting as mediators in the relationship between architectural style and life satisfaction. Furthermore, residents living in traditional regional architecture scored higher on the scales of general belongingness, social identity, and life satisfaction compared to those living in modern minimalist architecture. These findings provide new insights for urban planning, highlighting the importance of considering the potential psychological and social welfare impacts of architectural styles on residents during the design process. Additionally, they emphasize the value of preserving and promoting traditional regional architecture. This study provides empirical evidence for urban planners and architects, supporting the integration of more human-centered design principles into modern urban environments to enhance residents’ well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Zihao Cao & Muhizam Mustafa & Mohd Hafizal Mohd Isa, 2024. "Traditional Regionalism or Modern Minimalism? Unveiling the Psychological Impact of Architectural Styles in Sustainable Urban Planning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:13:p:5576-:d:1425515
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/13/5576/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/13/5576/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sun, Bindong & Liu, Jiahang & Yin, Chun & Cao, Jason, 2022. "Residential and workplace neighborhood environments and life satisfaction: Exploring chain-mediation effects of activity and place satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    2. Johanna Hornung & Nils C. Bandelow & Colette S. Vogeler, 2019. "Social identities in the policy process," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(2), pages 211-231, June.
    3. Binyad Maruf Abdulkadir Khaznadar & Salahaddin Yasin Baper, 2023. "Sustainable Continuity of Cultural Heritage: An Approach for Studying Architectural Identity Using Typo-Morphology Analysis and Perception Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-48, June.
    4. Jorge J. Varela & Andrés O. Muñoz-Najar Pacheco & María Josefina Chuecas & Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas & Paulina Guzmán & Maria Angela Mattar Yunes, 2022. "Life Satisfaction, Bullying, and Feeling Safe as a Protective Factor for Chilean and Brasilian Adolescents," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(2), pages 579-598, April.
    5. Xinyi Wang & F. Atiyya Shaw & Patricia L. Mokhtarian & Giovanni Circella & Kari E. Watkins, 2023. "Combining disparate surveys across time to study satisfaction with life: the effects of study context, sampling method, and transport attributes," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 513-543, April.
    6. Elmira Jamei & Khatereh Ahmadi & Hing Wah Chau & Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian & Ben Horan & Alex Stojcevski, 2021. "Urban Design and Walkability: Lessons Learnt from Iranian Traditional Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daria Małgorzata Bręczewska-Kulesza & Małgorzata Kaus, 2025. "The Importance of Traditional Housing as a Cultural Architectural Heritage, Forming the Landscape and Identity of the City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-28, August.
    2. Lulu Yuan & Xue Wang & Meizhen Zhao & Chaowei Guo & Shuang Zang, 2024. "Unveiling a Positive Association Between Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Government Work Evaluation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 171(3), pages 1043-1064, February.
    3. Mohammad Hamed Abdi & Ali Soltani, 2022. "Which Fabric/Scale Is Better for Transit-Oriented Urban Design: Case Studies in a Developing Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, June.
    4. Mohammed Mashary Alnaim & Abdelhakim Mesloub & Chaham Alalouch & Emad Noaime, 2025. "Reclaiming the Urban Streets: Evaluating Accessibility and Walkability in the City of Hail’s Streetscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-41, March.
    5. Jingjing Zeng & Guihua Huang, 2024. "Bureaucratic biases in trust of expert policy advice: a randomized controlled experiment based on Chinese think tank reports," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 57(2), pages 305-351, June.
    6. Chersoni, Giulia & DellaValle, Nives & Fontana, Magda, 2022. "Modelling thermal insulation investment choice in the EU via a behaviourally informed agent-based model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    7. Zeng, Qian & Wu, Hao & Zhou, Luyao & Huang, Gonghu & Li, Yuting & Dewancker, Bart Julien, 2024. "Toward pedestrian-friendly cities: Nonlinear and interaction effects of building density on pedestrian volume," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    8. Baniyelme D. Zoogah & William Y. Degbey & Maria Elo, 2023. "Industrial policy environments and the flourishing of African multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(4), pages 408-431, December.
    9. Lu, Ke & Shi, Chunmei, 2024. "Exploring determinants of travelers’ discontinuance behavioral intention on integrated ride-hailing services: A perspective on perceived risk," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Anna Visvizi & Shahira Assem Abdel-Razek & Roman Wosiek & Radosław Malik, 2021. "Conceptualizing Walking and Walkability in the Smart City through a Model Composite w 2 Smart City Utility Index," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, December.
    11. Moshe Maor & Tereza Capelos, 2023. "Symposium: Affect and emotions in policy dynamics," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(3), pages 439-448, September.
    12. Mimi E. Lam, 2021. "United by the global COVID-19 pandemic: divided by our values and viral identities," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, December.
    13. Athena M. King, 2025. "“Shocking the System” in the 21st Century: Conservative Policy Entrepreneurs and the Plan for Authoritarianism in the U.S," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, April.
    14. Yuhao Ba & Kathryn Schwaeble & Thomas Birkland, 2022. "The United States in Chinese environmental policy narratives: Is there a trump effect?," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(6), pages 708-729, November.
    15. Hing-Wah Chau & Ian Gilzean & Elmira Jamei & Lesley Palmer & Terri Preece & Martin Quirke, 2022. "Comparative Analysis of 20-Minute Neighbourhood Policies and Practices in Melbourne and Scotland," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 13-24.
    16. Xiu Cheng & Ruyin Long & Fan Wu, 2022. "How Symbols and Social Interaction Influence the Experienced Utility of Sustainable Lifestyle Guiding Policies: Evidence from Eastern China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-22, April.
    17. Chaoxin Jiang & Julian Chun-Chung Chow & Hao Song, 2023. "Unpacking the Association between Material Deprivation and Children’s Life Satisfaction in 14 Countries: The Mediating Roles of Bullying Victimization by Peers and Siblings and the Moderating Role of ," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(5), pages 2749-2768, October.
    18. Jens Nilsson & Annica Sandström & Daniel Nohrstedt, 2020. "Beliefs, social identity, and the view of opponents in Swedish carnivore management policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(3), pages 453-472, September.
    19. Borualogo, Ihsana Sabriani & Casas, Ferran, 2024. "Children with homeostatically maintained and homeostatically defeated subjective well-being in Indonesia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    20. Cheng, Xiu & Wu, Fan & Li, Wenbo & Yang, Jiameng & Long, Ruyin, 2024. "What maintains low-carbon consumption behaviors: Evidence from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:13:p:5576-:d:1425515. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.