Ripples of blue: Unveiling the influence of urban blue spaces on public happiness through social networking sites

Abstract

The high density and rapid pace characteristic of urban environments pose significant challenges to human health. While an expanding corpus of research underscores the mitigating effects of natural environments on these adverse impacts, the empirical evidence pertaining to the benefits of urban blue spaces remains relatively sparse, particularly in terms of their potential to bolster happiness. This study innovatively applied a BERT-based sentiment analysis model to geotagged social media data, offering a novel approach to quantify public happiness expressions in urban blue spaces. We utilize three happiness indices—Happiness Probability Index (HPI), Happiness Intensity Index (HII), and Happiness Evenness Index (HEI)—to explore the spatial effects of blue spaces on well-being. The results indicate that different types of blue spaces exert distinct influences on happiness, with urban rivers showing a stronger effect on happiness probability and evenness compared to lakes, ponds, and artificial water features. Regression analysis further reveals that proximity to blue spaces significantly enhances happiness within both 400m and 800m buffer zones, and that spatial organization and morphological characteristics are closely linked to happiness intensity. These findings provide evidence-based recommendations for designing and planning urban blue spaces to optimize their benefits for public health.