Huang, Han, and Ma investigated user preferences for the design of spaces beside commercial pedestrian streets in China. They report that “(a) When arcade spaces were available, people prefer streets with taller trees and a lower planting density (50 plants/km or less). Conversely, they preferred streets with relatively low trees (3–6 m), a higher planting density (100–200 plants/km) and two or more vertical layers of plants. . . . (b) When there were only one or two types of signage hanging, people preferred streets with a moderate planting density (50–100 plants/km); and there were three or more types of signage hanging, people preferred the plants with low linear density (50 plants/km or less) . . . (c) When benches were available, people preferred streets with plants on one or both sides, fewer plant colours (one or two kind of colours) and better plant growth status. Specifically, the richer the vertical structure and the bigger number of colours were, the higher the preference score.”
Xulin Huang, Chenping Han, and Mingkang Ma. 2022. “Visual Preferences for Outdoor Space Along Commercial Pedestrian Streets Under the Influence of Plant Characteristics.” PLoS ONE, vol. 17, no. 3, e0264482, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264482