Research Article

Urban Street Environmental Factors Influencing Mental Stress Alleviation

Yung-Chia Chiu 1 *
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1 Department of Marketing and Logistics Management, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Environmental Sustainability and Protection, 6(2), June 2026, 8-17, https://doi.org/10.35745/ijesp2026v06.02.0003
Submitted: 24 December 2025, Published: 30 June 2026
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ABSTRACT

The concept of sustainable cities encompasses not only environmental concerns but also extends to the physical and mental well-being of residents. Urban design, particularly the structuring of street environments, plays a crucial role in alleviating stress and promoting public health when it emulates the qualities of natural settings. The present study adopts a multifaceted methodology, incorporating semi-structured interviews, semantic dif-ferential analysis and a seven-point imagery scale, to explore the influence of street life on emotional states. The case study focuses on Zhongshan Road in Chiayi City. Furthermore, field perceptual experiments, environmental feature extraction, and video recording were conducted to analyse correlations between specific street characteristics and psychological well-being. The findings identify several key environmental factors that significantly affect mental health: green space ratio, vehicle presence, walkability, environmental complexity, building enclosure, facility distribution, sky visibility, facade transparency, proportion of slow events, and color richness. The present study found vehicle presence and excessive environmental complexity to be positively correlated with feelings of boredom, while facade transparency was found to be positively correlated with en-gagement. Moreover, a higher ratio of green space and building enclosure has been demonstrated to be associated with heightened interest. The results of this study demonstrate that street environments exert a measurable psychological impact on well-being, either fostering or diminishing it, depending on their configuration. Beyond the empirical insights yielded by the study, its findings are closely aligned with the broader objectives of sustainable urban development. The expansion of green spaces and the prioritisation of pedestrian-friendly street design have been identified as key strat-egies for reducing carbon emissions and enhancing sustainability.
Keywords: City street environment, City sustainability, Stress relief, Psychological experience, Aesthetics

CITATION (APA)

Chiu, Y.-C. (2026). Urban Street Environmental Factors Influencing Mental Stress Alleviation. International Journal of Environmental Sustainability and Protection, 6(2), 8-17. https://doi.org/10.35745/ijesp2026v06.02.0003

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