How Individual and Sound Characteristics Interactively Determine Perceived Soundscape Restorativeness in Coastal Urban Spaces—An Empirical Study in a Typical Sea-fronting Context

The restorative soundscape is an important consideration in the health benefits of coastal environments. However, limited research has examined the perceived restorativeness of coastal soundscapes on site, considering both individual and sound characteristics. This study explores coastal urban spaces as nature-based therapeutic landscapes for public mental well-being and investigates how individual and sound factors interactively determine the perceived soundscape restorativeness (PSR) through theoretical components, using a field questionnaire survey in a typical sea-fronting context in China. The results indicate that the PSR varies depending on both individual and sound characteristics. Sociodemographic factors, behavioral patterns, dominant sounds, and holistic soundscape evaluations significantly influence the PSR. Individual characteristics including occupation, education level, visit duration, frequency, and activity intensity are associated with all four theoretical components: Fascination (F), Being away (A), Compatibility (C), and Extent (E). Moreover, individual factors play an even greater role than sound characteristics in determining F, A, and C components. By integrating theoretical components with individual and sound characteristics, a robust framework was established using an extended Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale (PRSS) to explain restorative soundscape in coastal urban spaces. Sound and individual factors, beyond theoretical components, account for nearly three quarters of the total variance (73.45%). This study highlights the interplay between restorative components, sound environment, sociodemographic factors, and visit behaviors in determining the PSR. The findings provide empirical insights for optimizing soundscapes in coastal environments to enhance their therapeutic landscape potential and landscape design benefits.