Exploring the Relationships between Mini Urban Green Space Layout and Human Activity

The quality of urban green space has an impact on the health and well-being of populations. Previous studies have shown that consideration of crowd activity characteristics is the key premise of landscape space design and planning. However, there is limited research on the correlation between features of the spatial layout of Mini Urban Green Spaces (MUGS) and the behavior of people, and it is difficult to take into account the possible distribution of people and their activity characteristics during the design phase of MUGS. This study aims to construct a technical workflow utilizing the AnyLogic platform and agent-based simulation methods for analyzing the characteristics of landscape spatial layouts considering dynamic human behavior. One MUGS, named 511 Park in Nanjing, China, was selected as the case for the application of the method and exploration of the impacts of spatial elements and layout on crowd activity types and density. We investigated the impact of four types of spatial elements—paths, facilities, nodes, and entrances—on human activities in MUGS. The results showed that path layout emerged as the most significant influencing factor. Changes in nodes and the number of facilities have a relatively minor impact on people’s activities. There was an apparent impact of changes in path orientation around nodes on the dynamics of the flow of people. This study could provide valuable insights for landscape designers, aiding informed decision-making during the construction, renovation, and management of MUGS.