Urban Density-Dependent Effects of Neighborhood Park Spatial Features: Evidence from the Seoul Metropolitan Area

This study examines how users’ preferences for spatial elements in neighborhood parks influence satisfaction and assesses the moderating role of urban density in this relationship. An online survey was conducted with 283 residents in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, and the study area was classified into high-, medium-, and low-density urban contexts. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to derive key spatial elements, and multiple regression and moderation analyses were conducted to empirically verify the relationship between the respondents’ spatial preferences and satisfaction. The study finds that the spatial elements of neighborhood parks have significantly varying effects on user satisfaction based on urban density. Specifically, natural and community spaces were identified as core elements that consistently influenced satisfaction across all urban density levels. In contrast, multifunctional cultural spaces were the only significant predictors of the relationship between spatial preferences and satisfaction in high-density spaces and urban-landscape spaces only had a significant influence in medium-density areas. The findings suggest that the spatial elements of neighborhood parks do not operate universally; rather, their effects on user satisfaction are context-dependent and shaped by urban density.