Designing resilient cities: Greenery, rectilinearity, and sociality as key factors in aesthetic preferences

Urban nature-based solutions are crucial for climate change adaptation; however, their implementation also depends on their aesthetic appeal, which can influence public acceptance and engagement. This study explores the impact of shape, greenery, sociality, and semantic information on aesthetic evaluations of architecture, drawing on insights from neuroaesthetics. Forty-three participants (41 females, Mage = 20.93, SDage = 4.34, ages 18-44) were divided into three groups (positive, negative, and control) and asked to rate the aesthetic of buildings categorized by perceived shape, greenery, and sociality using a visual analogue scale. Results showed a preference for rectilinear buildings, greenery, sociability, as well as an interaction between building shape and greenery. These findings introduce sociality as a key factor in environmental aesthetics and highlight the importance of interactions between these factors in shaping aesthetic preferences. Semantic information had no significant effect on evaluations. The study discusses the methodological considerations and suggests improvements for future research in this area. PREREGISTRATION: https://osf.io/bygaf/.