Why is dense vegetation in city parks unpopular? The mediative role of sense of privacy and safety

The density of vegetation in parks and forests has a significant impact on user preferences. However, the results of research thus far have not provided a clear determination regarding the relationship between plant density and preference, or the causes. We assumed that the variables that would explain the impact of plant density on preferences are privacy and safety, which also mutually influence each other. We designed a study that evaluated 124 photos selected randomly from a sample of 500 photos of parks and forests. The study was carried out in a lecture room equipped with a projector on which photographs were displayed. The photos were assessed by 104 participants randomly divided into 3 groups, each of which rated the photos in terms of one aspect (perceived safety, privacy and landscape preference). The plant density was measured in the photos in three layers, as a relative number (1) plants providing cover, (2) sky clearings among the crowns, (3) illuminated surfaces along horizontal planes. The results showed that all three variables measuring plant density affect preferences (respectively: r =-0.41; .50, .43) while privacy and safety are mediators in these relationships (the mediation paths are statistically significant). In addition, safety is a mediator in relation to privacy and preference. So, what we are dealing with here is a form of double medi-ation: plant density affects preferences in such a way that it increases a sense of privacy that would have a positive effect on preferences were it not for the threat associated with it. This is the reason why sheltered and shady places are unpopular even though they offer a sense of privacy. This means that in parks, but only those without the presence of criminal and anti-social behaviour / with no risk of crime (monitored, private, etc.) it is worth introducing quiet, sheltered places that will satisfy the sense of privacy and positively influence how the users feel.