A tale of two different cities: perceived restorativeness of natural vs. calm or busy urban environments / <i>Historia de dos ciudades distintas: La capacidad de restauración percibida del entorno natural frente a entornos urbanos tranquilos o concur

This study explored urban environments in terms of psychological restorativeness. The aim was to expand the frequently used but conceptually limited dichotomy of natural vs. urban settings by adding a distinction between serene and busy urban environments. In an online study, 381 participants were exposed to natural, calm urban, or busy urban environments. Perceived restorativeness of the environment was evaluated using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), in which we explored new compatibility items. Results revealed the hypothesized hierarchical order in which nature was perceived as most restorative, followed by a calm urban environment, whereas a busy urban environment showed the least restorative qualities. Moreover, factor analysis identified a six-factor structure in the PRS, highlighting that the alternative compatibility factor contained comfort and identity facets. Moving research on restorativeness beyond the conventional nature-centric perspective, together this suggests that next to natural environments, serene urban environments may offer easily accessible restorative opportunities.