Enhancing Perceived Restorativeness in Urban Commercial Pedestrian Streets: An Empirical Study on the Intervention of Public Art

This dataset supports the study "Enhancing Perceived Restorativeness in Urban Commercial Pedestrian Streets: An Empirical Study on the Intervention of Public Art." It contains anonymized raw data from two linked surveys conducted in Wuhan, China, which informed the design and evaluation of streetscape visual stimuli.The data collection proceeded in two sequential steps:Assessment of Recognition for Wuhan's Cultural Symbols:This preliminary survey (n=45, local residents or long-term dwellers) aimed to identify culturally resonant themes for public art. Participants evaluated symbols across three categories: Artifacts, Flora & Fauna, and Architecture. The results guided the selection of the three most recognized themes—Zeng Houyi's chime bells, the phoenix, and the Yellow Crane Tower—for use in the subsequent visual experiment.Assessment of Perceived Restorativeness in Commercial Pedestrian Streets:This main survey collected perceptual ratings following a controlled image-based experiment. Participants viewed simulated streetscape images of Tanhualin Historic Cultural Street, with variations integrating six public art designs (combining the selected themes in abstract or figurative forms) or no art. Responses were measured using validated scales grounded in Attention Restoration Theory.The dataset enables validation of the study’s core findings: that public art significantly enhances perceived restorativeness, with independent effects from both its form and theme. It is shared to support transparency, replication, and further analysis in environmental design and urban sustainability research.