Research on the Relationship Between Multidimensional Characteristics of Blue-Green Spaces and Mental Health of Older Adults

According to the Theory of Justice, the characteristics of vulnerable groups should be considered in realizing the mental health benefits of blue-green spaces, so as to promote substantive equity and welfare in cities. The unclear relationship between the blue-green space indicator system and the mental health of older adults at both the quantitative and qualitative levels has hindered the development of spatial justice and health equity in cities. Based on the theories of stress reduction and attention restoration, this paper uses the Hierarchical Linear Model to systematically explore the relationship between the qualitative (environmental characteristics and landscape patterns of parks and water bodies) and quantitative (visibility and accessibility) characteristics of blue-green spaces and the mental health of older adults. The research finds that in the spatial dimension, there is a significant difference in the relationship between the qualitative and quantitative indicators of blue-green space and the mental health of older adults, and the relationship between the availability, visibility, and accessibility of blue-green space and the mental health of older adults is weakened in turn. In the social dimension, resilient ecological spaces can regulate and buffer the negative impacts on the mental health of older adults that are brought about by unfavorable socio-economic factors like having no homeownership. The research can provide guidance for environmental design and the selection of planning indicators to improve the mental health of older adults, and give empirical evidence for reaching a more “equitable” layout of urban blue-green spaces, so as to promote the development of age friendly cities and green and healthy cities.