商业区街景、树木和消费者反应外文翻译资料

Business District Streetscapes, Trees, and Consumer Response

Kathleen L. Wolf

《Journal of Forestry》 , 2006 , 103 (8) :396-400

A multistudy research program has investigated how consumers respond to the urban forest in central business districts of cities of various sizes. Trees positively affect judgments of visual quality but, more significantly, may influence other consumer responses and behaviors. Survey respondents from all regions of the United States favored trees in business districts, and this preference was further reflected in positive district perceptions, patronage behavior, and product pricing. An overview of the research is provided, with implications for the economics of local communities.

Keywords: urban forestry, retail, public, preference, perception, valuation

Central business districts are the re- tail and civic centers of many urban neighborhoods and smaller cities.

Main Street merchants now face competitive challenges from big-box retailers, regional malls, and online purchasing. As business associations implement district improvements and strategies to attract and retain shoppers, some retailers overlook the importance of a quality streetscape on visitorsrsquo; encounters with a business district. The direct costs of an urban forest improvement program can be readily tallied; assessing the consumer response benefits is more difficult. Negative perceptions about trees based on costs can have broad implications, because business constituents often are politically influential and may voice opinions that impact public policy and decision making through- out a city. Urban forest advocates can now point to extensive studies that document the environmental services that urban forests provide. However, business people do not consider such evidence to be salient to the bottom line of stores and shops. What can justify investment in tree planting and management in the retail streetscape? Merchants must be able to see some potential of return on green investment. A series of studies has explored the psychosocial response of shoppers to outdoor consumer environments, revealing consistently positive associations between streetscapes having trees and consumer preferences, perceptions, and behavior.

The survey research has targeted the Main Street business districts of large, mid- size, and small cities. The research program helps us to better understand and reconcile the tensions that often are associated with trees in consumer environments. Exceptional efforts by local collaborators have made it possible for our research teams to sample business districts and their associated users throughout the United States. This article summarizes the most significant out- comes of the surveys and the implications for urban forest programs in business districts.

Background

Marketing researchers have long considered the attributes of products and stores and, in addition to utilitarian concerns, have evaluated the role of aesthetics in consumer behavior. For instance, effects of store elements of music, lighting, color, scent, lay- out, signage, and service staff are complex (Lam 2001). Store environments can affect shoppersrsquo; behaviors through responses of

emotion, cognition, and physiological state, without the shopper necessarily being conscious of such influences. Interior elements contribute to store image; for instance, classical music and soft lighting are associated with high-quality image. Evaluations also are influenced by elements that are perceived as cues of service, merchandise quality, and general characterization of store types. Some environmental conditions, such as temperature and noise levels, affect onersquo;s sense of comfort and can influence the amount of time spent in a particular environment.

Consumer response to retail settings is but one application of the theories of per- son/environment interaction. Social scientists distinguish the physical-tangible do- main of an environment from interpersonal and sociocultural domains (Stokols 1978). Response to an environment arises from a personrsquo;s myriad assessments of a physical setting. Observers interpret literal characteristics of a place to make judgments of function (e.g., school versus hospital) or way- finding. Observers also make connotative or inferential judgments about the quality or character of a place and the people who in- habit it (Nasar 1998). An observer mentally overlays physical form with meanings or representations, integrating mediating in- formation gained from prior experiences, social learning, and education.

Remarkably, few marketing studies have looked beyond the door of the store, to assess the consequences of streetscape character and shopper response. Psychological assessments of urban landscapes suggest that aesthetic response is more than a mere reaction to what is beautiful or pleasant, but is one expression of a complex array of perceptual and cognitive processes (Kaplan and

Kaplan 1989). Imbedded within visual preferences are reactions to cues that help one to make sense of an environment. Response to visual attributes is rarely neutral; often, there are associated judgments and behaviors. Urban scenes containing trees (particularly large ones) are consistently highly preferred, and the general public rates the benefits of urban trees highly (Lohr et al. 2004). Urban natural elements also contribute to impressions of place. Positive meanings and values are associated with the urban forest (Chenowith and Gobster 1990, Hull 1992). Natural amenities influence perceptions of place type and function (Herzog 1989).

Methods Overview

A four-concept framework—visual quality, place perceptions, shopper patron- age, and product pricing—guided a progression of three survey research projects. Surveys were developed and distributed sequentially

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