Abstract:To investigate the effects of audio-visual environments in urban waterfront green spaces on attention restoration, this study focused on Yuhangtang River waterfront green spaces in Hangzhou, selecting six typical green spaces and constructing multiple audio-visual experimental conditions through combinations of five sound types (silence, birdsong, ship horns, crowd noise, and flowing water) with corresponding on-site images. Eye-tracking technology and the Restorative Environment Scale (RS) were employed for analysis. Results demonstrate that natural sounds (flowing water and birdsong) significantly enhance attention restoration efficiency, outperforming silent conditions, whereas artificial sounds (ship horns and crowd noise) exhibited negative effects. Natural sounds prolonged average fixation duration, reduced fixation frequency, and strengthened visual focus, thereby promoting attention recovery. Not all audiovisual stimuli positively influenced restoration, with near-natural soundscapes showing particularly significant benefits. Coordinated audiovisual environments proved crucial for optimizing restorative experiences. Therefore, the design of the riverfront green space should not only focus on visual aesthetics, but also enhance the environmental restoration effectiveness through audio-visual and other multi sensory interaction design strategies, such as implementing dynamic water installations and cultivating bird-attracting vegetation to enrich natural soundscapes.
