Shaping Sustainable Urban Spaces: Understanding Green Space User Needs in Malaysia

Urban regeneration aims to create vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive urban areas. In this context, this study investigates user preferences for green retail space in Johor Bahru, focusing on activities and facilities required for an enhanced experience. Based on 400 questionnaires analyzed through descriptive statistics, relative importance index, and cross-tabulation, the results reveal that social interaction is the most preferred activity, followed by exercising, stress relief, education, and relaxation through nature appreciation, while recreational activities are the least favored. Demographic factors, such as gender, age, and education level, do not significantly influence activity preferences. Users highlight the need for comfortable seating, shelter, drinking water, walking trails, sanitation, security, lighting, air cooling, and charging stations. These findings contribute to the understanding of user needs in urban green spaces and offer practical insights for future design improvements in retail green environments, supporting the goals of urban regeneration.