Context dependent sensory integration modulates landscape preference in urban parks

Rapid urbanization positions urban parks as critical sensory infrastructure for psychological restoration. However, traditional landscape planning remains constrained by a visually dominant paradigm, often overlooking the non-linear, multisensory dynamics of human perception in complex environments. This study proposes and tests a Context-Dependent Attribute-based Holistic Perception Model (Path B) to investigate how auditory perception and Audiovisual Harmony (AV-Harmony) drive landscape preferences across functionally distinct zones. Utilizing a pooled analysis of three representative park typologies in China (N = 472), we compared the model explanatory efficacy of the traditional Element-based Aggregation Model (Path A) versus the Attribute-based Holistic Perception Model (Path B). Unlike the static visual-centric approach, our results-verified by robust GEE estimates-reveal a dynamic, context-adaptive integration mechanism. The Attribute-based Holistic Perception Model (Path B, which assumes heuristic aggregation of perceived attributes into higher-order holistic properties) demonstrated superior efficiency, explaining significantly more variance than element-based models (Path A) (e.g., Adj. R² = 0.526 vs. 0.098) by capturing holistic atmospheres rather than discrete objects. Our empirical findings support a model of functional perceptual modulation (conceptually linked to sensory gating), characterized by a context-adaptive shift in sensory weighting. In restorative Resting Zones, the results reveal an Acoustic Filtering priority (B = 0.343, p < 0.001), where soundscape quality is strongly associated with overall satisfaction; conversely, in social Activity Zones, Audiovisual Harmony (AV-Harmony) emerges as a particularly strong predictor (B = 0.566), prioritizing semantic congruence over absolute sensory quality via processing fluency. Furthermore, soundscape quality appears to act as a sensory aesthetic leveler, contributing to the attenuation of visual disparities across park tiers and potentially promoting sensory equity. These findings suggest the value of shifting emphasis from conventional Greening to sensory Tuning, offering a cost-effective and evidence-based framework for designing more restorative, inclusive, and resilient urban health infrastructure.