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Design+

ARTICLE
Evaluation of recreational suitability of urban

waterfront green spaces: A case study of
Calligraphy Square in Linyi, Shandong, China

Haixia Chen and Qianda Zhuang*

Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University,
Linyi, Shandong, China

Abstract

Urban waterfront green spaces are key elements in the urban framework, enhancing
city livability. Centered around water bodies, they often form the most vibrant
open spaces in cities. They offer people leisure, entertainment, fitness, and other
diversified activities, enriching the cultural life of citizens. In addition, developing
waterfront green spaces helps enhance a city’s image and foster residents’ sense
of belonging and pride. At present, there is limited research on evaluating the
recreational suitability of urban waterfront green spaces. This study aims to establish
an evaluation system for recreational suitability tailored for Linyi’s waterfront green
spaces. The Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process were employed to screen
*Corresponding author: evaluation indicators and determine their weights, constructing the evaluation
Qianda Zhuang system. The evaluation standards were clarified, and Linyi Calligraphy Square was
(zhuangqianda@lyu.edu.cn) evaluated as an example. Data were gathered through questionnaires, on-site
Citation: Chen H, Zhuang Q. surveys, and reviews. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method showed that
Evaluation of recreational suitability the recreational suitability score of Linyi Calligraphy Square is 4.004, indicating
of urban waterfront green spaces: A
case study of Calligraphy Square in a high level of recreational suitability. Among these, the evaluation results rated
Linyi, Shandong, China. Design+. the facility (0.42), recreational experience (0.484), and location and transportation
2025;2(3):025110020. (0.375) as “very good,” the environment (0.503) and landscape (0.391) as “good,” and
doi: 10.36922/DP025110020
the resources (0.439) as “average.” Based on these results, suggestions were made
Received: March 14, 2025 for Linyi Calligraphy Square, including increasing children’s activity facilities and
1st revised: May 19, 2025 venues, strengthening safety measures for water-related recreation, and providing
reasonable and effective references for future development and construction.
2nd revised: June 16, 2025
Accepted: July 11, 2025
Keywords: Analytic hierarchy process; Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation; Linyi Calligraphy
Published online: August 7, 2025 Square; Recreational suitability; Urban waterfront green spaces
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons
AttributionNoncommercial License, 1. Introduction
permitting all non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any With the continuous innovation of urban development concepts, the construction
medium, provided the original work of green and ecological cities has gradually become mainstream. The structure and
1,2
is properly cited. function of urban waterfront green spaces, as the driving force of the economy and
3
Publisher’s Note: AccScience industry, have become increasingly complex. Meanwhile, these spaces also play an
Publishing remains neutral with important role in enhancing residents’ well-being and meeting their spiritual needs.
4,5
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Therefore, the construction of urban waterfront green spaces and the improvement of
affiliations. these existing spaces have received extensive attention.
Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/DP025110020