Perceptions, Determinants and Residential Satisfaction from Urban Open Spaces

Quality of life as a cross-disciplinary term is explored by the sciences of urban planning and design, geography, and social sciences. The present paper: 1) investigates the factors of satisfaction of visitors to the urban open space; 2) highlights complex patterns of residents’ satisfaction from the contribution of a bioclimatic renovation project in this area. For the needs of the present, field research was conducted on the residents of a medium-sized Greek city. The urban open space chosen presents a multi-functional character, consists pole of attraction for visitors based on the variety of its uses, and encompasses a special cultural and historical identity. The methodological approach is initially based on a multi-criteria analysis (Factor Analysis) to capture the characteristics that shape the disadvantages and dynamics of urban open space in order to obtain the factors of residential satisfaction. Based on the evaluation of the satisfaction factors (Principal Components), a hierarchical classification was applied, exploring the main patterns of residential satisfaction regarding the contribution of the bioclimatic regeneration project. The findings show that residents’ satisfaction with urban open space is a function of five factors: the overall operation of the open space, the quality of leisure facilities, the contribution of the bioclimatic design of large scale project, the suitability of infrastructure for children and respect for the cultural identity of the place. The satisfaction based on the acceptance of the project of bioclimatic regeneration showed that only one in four residents is satisfied with the overall contribution of the project, while the vast majority of residents are nonetheless dissatisfied. Finally, there emerge six profiles of residents, in terms of their degree of satisfaction compared to the other interpretive variables.


Introduction
Urban open spaces are the driving force behind the city's structure and viability as such spaces strengthen the feeling of community (Francis et al., 2012;Cao & Wang, 2016)  The study of residential satisfaction factors in an open urban space is particularly crucial and complex. It is therefore important to be able in any case to determine the factors that contribute, to a greater or lesser extent, to the satisfaction of residents or visitors. The more objective, complete, and quantitative this analysis is, the closer we are to the performance of the concept of residential satisfaction in these areas. At the same time, these spaces are examined either as a whole or as more fragmentary and departmental, based on their individual characteristics. These characteristics may correspond to sections of old infrastructure or new infrastructure, such as a bioclimatic regeneration project. This paper, drawing on the existing bibliography, proceeds to identify those characteristics that affect the residential satisfaction of open urban space, as an empirical study, in a medium-sized Greek city. While then it proceeds to identify the complex patterns that develop between the characteristics of these spaces and the satisfaction of the visitors.

Literature Reviews
The impact of urban open spaces is reflected in the physical (Cohen et al., 2007;Tzoulas et al., 2007) and mental health of individuals in a variety of different ways, as those areas often become spaces of recreation, communication or sports, for various age and social groups, especially when these spaces are at a walking distance from people's homes (Schipperijn et al., 2017). Visiting an urban open space, for example, can bring someone relaxation (Kaplan, 1985) as well as reduce their anxiety levels (Chiesura, 2004). Such positive feelings are reinforced when these spaces are of high-function or when a significant part of these areas is covered by vegetation.
That is to say, "green spaces" within the urban fabric seem to reduce the sense E. Anastasiou, S. Manika DOI: 10.4236/jss.2020.86001 3 Open Journal of Social Sciences of insecurity or fear of citizens (Kuo & Sullivan, 2001). However, many visitors to green urban open spaces often experience diametrically opposite views. The question that arises thus concerns what their responsibility is in terms of their personal sense of safety and security, and what are the responsibilities of municipal authorities (Rickard, Scherer, & Newman, 2011;Hanisah et al., 2016 Adriaanse (Adriaanse, 2007), empirical studies on the satisfaction of residents can be distinguished into two categories. The first category takes resident satisfaction as a predictive factor of their behavior, such as decisions to move to different areas and places for example, and is based on the relationship between the needs or desires of the individual and the state of their surroundings. The second category values resident satisfaction so as to examine the quality of their space, their surrounding environment, neighborhood, or the broader urban unit/district (Adriaanse, 2007). In each category, it is important to identify the determining factors of the degree of satisfaction of the residents or visitors of a place. These factors can include the specific characteristics of the space that make it potentially attractive or the specific characteristics of people that determine their actions and decisions.
The social and economic profile of individuals and the connections made from past cultural environments and situations are factors that determine one's appreciation of urban open spaces (Vemuri et al., 2011;Diener, Oishi, & Tay, 2018) in terms of the decision to visit those spaces or not (Petrosillo et al., 2007), as well the potential frequency of visits/participation in those areas (Eng & Niininen, 2005). Information about the profile of visitors to an area can thus assist the most efficient design, efficient management (Lepesteur et al., 2008), and the future of this space (Wang et al., 2015). This process forms the method of adaptive learning and involves the relationships that form between people and their social -ecological environment (Davidson-Hunt & Berkes, 2003). This method, while it can refer to either to residents or tourists to the areas under study, will nevertheless prioritize permanent residents of areas, as tourists or visitors have a more -spatially and temporally-malleable view of their surroundings.
The multidimensional scale of a residential satisfaction model was initiated by Canter and Rees (1982) focusing on the satisfaction of the inhabitants for the assessment of the residential environment (Adriaanse, 2007) and treating the results as key for urban planning. Furthermore, a plethora of current researches focused on the question of residential satisfaction has been carried out. These researches present a full spectrum of variables, methods, and approaches. Buys  (2012) predict residential satisfaction with an emphasis on inner urban higher-density environments. Furthermore, Wu et al. (2020) interrelate the usage of a park with residential satisfaction. Ngesan et al. (2013) show the role of the design of urban public parks in the positive residential perception with an emphasis on variables related to nighttime leisure. Francis et al. (2012) give prominence to the relation between high-quality public spaces and the enhancement of the sense of community. Wood et al. (2008)  Thus far we can conclude that a variety of criteria are usually used to form the scale of the assessment of urban space. What is interesting in this case is that the criteria are likely to be defined and understood differently both by the residents themselves and by urban planners (Hofmann et al., 2012).
At any rate, however, the first criterion that is to be considered is the presence and availability of green spaces (Hitchings, 2013). It is evident in this case, then, that social and cultural criteria are of lesser importance in this scale (Ives et al., 2017). However, it should be emphasized that social and cultural factors define the identity of a region and establish a person's connection to it (Chan, Peters, & Marafa, 2015). The satisfaction of a visitor to the urban space is also influenced by criteria that are determined by the availability and design of the infrastructure areas or their variety and by the characteristics of the landscape surrounding it (Real et al., 2000;Hofmann et al., 2012). Furthermore, the rising "consumption of public goods" expresses the demand of residents for public goods (Lu, 2020).
As the modern resident spends more and more time in digital and virtual spaces, it is imperative to explore the characteristics that will make urban open spaces more attractive, thus increasing resident satisfaction and bringing open spaces back to the social spotlight (Gifford, 2014).
Agios Achilleos, Ancient Theatre) and the bioclimatic regeneration project which was completed in 2016, in form of a policy of emanating better environmental conditions and a new aesthetic identity in this area, which was met with a multitude of different reactions from citizens.

Methods
In order to investigate the factors that influence the satisfaction of residents in urban public spaces, we designed a tool for measuring satisfaction, based on international literature.
The closed-type questionnaire consists of three sections: 1) The first section sets out demographic and social data, such as gender, age, marital status, number of children, and level of education.
2) The second section contains information on the specific time period and and took place in the location under study. The results are reliable with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 4%. After the data collection, they were coded and entered into a database in order to draw statistical inferences.
The methodological approach is based on methods of descriptive and exploratory statistical analysis (Factor Analysis, Hierarchical clustering). The descriptive results were presented in the form of percentage breakdowns and average values and a comparison was made between the different characteristics/traits of the sample. In prioritizing the importance of the results, independence tests were carried out with non-parametric tests.
In order to identify the factors influencing the visitors' satisfaction of urban open areas, Factor Analysis was conducted in 22 initial variables. Through a logical correlation of data and concepts, analytical methods allowed the information of the large amount of data resulting from the on-site survey to be condensed. This method is an extremely useful tool for analyzing complex phenomena that cannot be measured directly, especially when they involve attitudes, perceptions, and human behaviors (Gliem & Gliem, 2003). This tool involves a limited number of new hyper-variables (Thurstone, 1947), which ensures the simplification and generalization of the dataset.
The basic requirement for using the factor analysis is to satisfy the criterion of the ratio of the initial variables in relation to the number of observations in the sample. In the case of the present survey and according to the international literature, the ratio of 10:1 (Garson, 2008) (530 observations, 22 variables) is satisfied. The Kayser Meyer Olkin index is particularly high (0.877) (Kaiser, 1974) and attests to the high consistency between the data and thus their suitability for analysis. The contribution of each variable in the model is at least satisfactory (>0.4) (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2007). The investigation of the factors was carried out by the analysis of Principal Components and the method of rotation of the axes was conducted with Varimax. Five principal components (77% dimension reduction) emerged after consideration of the eigenvalues (λ > 1) (Guttman, 1954), and the percentage of the total variation of the initial variables reflected by the new ones.
In continuation, a cluster analysis was then performed based on the new interpretive factors of satisfaction resulting from the Principal Component Analysis. The purpose of the cluster analysis application is to investigate the impact of This methodology utilizes agglomerative hierarchical analysis in order to group data. In cumulative methods, each object is initially considered as a group.
Then, the most comparable objects are selected and merged, creating a new group. From the resulting groups, the most comparable are selected and merged.
The process is repeated until all objects are included in a single group. The hierarchical cluster analysis method used is Ward's method that reduces the sort of variance in clusters. This is a fairly effective way of producing compact clusters as it maximizes homogeneity within them (Pham & Afify, 2007). The metric distance used is the squared Euclidean distance between the two centroids of the merged clusters.
Then through exploratory analysis, we created the residents' profiles. The

Results
The research sample consists of 530 people of whom women have relative numerical superiority (55.3%) ( Table 2). The highest numbers of both men surveyed (28.7%) and women (27.9%) are found in the 15 -24 age group, while as the age limit slightly increases, the percentage of survey participants slightly decreases.
The bivariate analysis does not, however, show a significant statistical difference between the age groups in terms of the gender of respondents (p > 0.05).
On the other hand, there is a statistically significant difference in the level of education between men and women (p < 0.05), with differences focusing on two levels of education. That is, with regards to in primary school in which women have higher rates (   Food services as a reason for visiting the spaces in question seem to concern both married people (44%) as well as unmarried participants (54%)

Determinants for Residential Satisfaction
The exploratory factor analysis reduced the volume of data, and from 22 variables it identified 5 principal components that interpret 63.9% of the total variability (Table 4). In order of decreasing importance of the total variation, the  The first composite indicator refers to the general feeling of satisfaction felt by the residents from the use of the infrastructure of the urban open spaces. Seven variables are involved and positively correlated in the component composition. Data indicates that people prioritize the fact that infrastructure must be adequately maintained, and the level of vegetation conservation should be maintained at an acceptable level. At the same time, the question of adequate parking spaces is important, while the general sense of security felt by anyone who goes to the spaces under study also plays a decisive role. The interpretation of the component is complemented by the use of the space for both event planning and evening activities. The fourth composite indicator clearly illustrates the parents' view of the existence, quality, and appropriateness of the infrastructure of the area in question for children. The three variables that make up the composite index have high factor loadings and are positively correlated. It is essentially about the search for a comfortable, friendly, and safe place, where every parent can bring their child, and offer them a welcoming place for socialization. The focus of the component concerns the use of urban open space through appropriate activities, giving a sense of quality, safety, and protection. 5th component: Respect for cultural identity (5.3%) The fifth component interprets the smallest percentage of the total variation, but it is nevertheless of major importance. It reflects the inhabitants' feeling and appreciation of the cultural identity of the area. It combines two initial variables that are positively correlated: knowledge of the history of the area and any possible vandalism observed in the area. The degree of influence of these characteristics constitutes the level of respect for cultural heritage.
The deconstruction of residents' perceptions in order to capture their satisfaction for a phenomenon is an extremely complex procedure. The five principal components emerged from the exploratory analysis highlight the main factors affecting residential satisfaction from urban open spaces. What is crucial is the convergence of residents' views to the general sense of the operation of the urban space. In addition to the smooth operation of open space, it seems that residents are looking for a place that offers a high sense of leisure, and children's infrastructure. The contribution of bioclimatic upgrade projects has also a positive impact on satisfaction. Finally, both the knowledge and the appreciation of space's historic identity have a positive effect on residential satisfaction.

Residents' Profiles
As far as the bioclimatic regeneration project is concerned, the question is The only downside is that there is no infrastructure suitable for children.
The profile of the second group (a2) of satisfied residents shows significant differences compared to the first. It represents a very low percentage of the population (4.9%), which is clearly satisfied with both the bioclimatic regeneration project and the variety and quality of infrastructure related to children's activities. itage, but on the contrary, the members of this group express their satisfaction with the high quality of recreation facilities and the infrastructure concerning the amount of space for children.
Our findings confirm the main points of the bibliographic review, while at the same time opening new paths in the measurement of the residential satisfaction of urban open spaces, given that an important parameter of the results is related to the determination of the satisfaction derived from the bioclimatic regeneration project. These projects are current choices of municipalities, as a function of their expected and self-evident characteristics as part of municipalities' efforts to become "smarter". However, the bibliographic and research review related to the residential satisfaction of visitors is limited.

Conclusion
The question of satisfaction from a city's public open space has been studied quite a bit, but most quantitative surveys focus on limited features of urban space. More specifically, preexisting studies typically focus on green spaces in the city, their form or maintenance, and much less other important characteristics of the urban space, such as its cultural or social profile. The present study aimed to address this gap by combining a holistic approach to urban space with the demographic and social profile of its visitors and the characteristics of their visit, in terms of specific time period and frequency.
The study area chosen is the historical center of a medium-sized Greek city and combines green spaces, places of increased cultural importance, religious sites, recreation, entertainment, and a network of bike paths and pedestrian streets. At the same time, a bioclimatic upgrade project was carried out in this area, and although it was partially accepted by the residents for its environmental contribution, it received several negative comments due to its aesthetics.
The reasons for visiting the area in question vary considerably between the age groups, the marital status, and the number of children of the participants.
According to the multivariate analysis conducted for this study, the factors contributing to the satisfaction of visitors to this urban open space, in order of decreasing importance are 1) the overall picture of the space, 2) the quality of the leisure services, 3) the contribution of bioclimatic regeneration projects, 4) the variety and suitability of the infrastructure for children and 5) respect for the cultural identity of the area. Finally, the analysis confirms poor residential satisfaction in relation to bioclimatic regeneration projects, while there emerge four distinct profiles of dissatisfied residents with heterogeneity in the factors affecting satisfaction.
The application of this methodological framework for the quantitative approach of satisfaction that the visitor draws from an urban open space can be used by policymakers in order to identify the characteristics that make this area more attractive and improve the inhabitants' quality of life.