Restorative Perceptions of Different Urban Residential Environments in Different Seasons in the Severe Cold Area: A Case Study in Harbin, China

Nowadays, China is urbanizing rapidly, however, the rapid urban expansion and social development have brought enormous psychological pressure on people. People's mental health has been challenged. In such times of distress, there is increasing importance on the restoration of the residential environment. However, the existing residential environment can not meet people’s desire for a healthy environment. The purpose of this research is to explore how to create a healthier residential environment within established planning regulations and land-use constraints. Based on the residential planning policy of Harbin, this research compared the restorative effects of residential space in different kinds of environments. The residential environments were shown by photos taken every other month from summer to winter (July to January) with the same location and perspective. The restorative effects were evaluated by the PRS scale. Our results clearly showed that environmental elements such as buildings, hard paving, trees, leaves, and snow have a significant impact on restorative perceptions. Restorative perception varies seasonally in residential areas with different designed environments, and although this trend is not the same, none of the restorative perceptions are the best in summer. Our results highlight the important role of seasonal design strategies for the residential environment with restorative effects based on planning policy. This paper present provides a reference for the seasonal factors of residential construction and provides a healthier environment for the residents.