Let the city heal you: Environment and activity's distinct roles in leisure restoration and satisfaction

Abstract

The rapid urbanization of modern societies has heightened the need to understand how urban environments can enhance residents' well-being. This study addresses this by exploring the roles of leisure environments and activities in the process of restoration and their contributions to leisure satisfaction. The findings indicate that both the perceived restorativeness of the leisure environment and the perceived restorativeness of leisure activities have a positive influence on the outcome of restoration, with the former exhibiting a slightly stronger effect. The restoration outcome significantly predicts leisure satisfaction—specifically, the restoration outcome fully mediates the relationship between the perceived restorativeness of leisure environment and leisure satisfaction, while it partially mediates the association between the perceived restorativeness of leisure activities and leisure satisfaction. Furthermore, the overall impact of leisure activities on leisure satisfaction is considerably greater than that of the leisure environment. This study advances the existing literature on restorative environments research by uncovering the relative effectiveness of settings and activities in the restoration process, thereby providing significant implications for managers of urban public spaces and leisure business establishments.