Youth perceptions of urban waterfront environments for stress relief: a social media text analysis study in Beijing

Urbanization has aggravated the mental health problems of youth. Blue spaces have been recognized as potential non-pharmacological intervention resources. However, there is a lack of literature focusing on seasonal water body variations in northern cities and youth populations. Using a collection of 4,502 social media posts and entries on Douyin and Xiaohongshu with a geographical location, this study used three-level NVivo thematic coding and triangulation to systematically analyze how the youth in Beijing perceive the stress-relief function of urban waterfronts. The findings show that waterfront areas are superior in terms of sensory experience compared to non-waterfront areas, with a 3.05-fold difference. The distinct waterfront value of calmness that exists in waterfront areas is completely absent in non-waterfront areas. Winter water bodies in northern cities exhibit “alternative restoration” characteristics, where frozen landscapes and seasonal rituals provide distinct pathways for psychological adjustment. The ice landscape at 5.8% and seasonal rituals at 3.9% reflect the alternative pathways for psychological adjustment. The five types of water bodies constitute a differentiated functional spectrum of “tranquil aesthetics” to “social sharing.” The natural ones are mainly sensory and emotional restoration while the artificial ones are mainly social and accessibility. This study affirms the relevance of Attention Restoration Theory and Stress Recovery Theory in the Chinese urban blue space context. It also enriches the seasonal dimension of the restorative environment theory through the proposed “alternative restoration” hypothesis. Further, this research fills in the gap of youth-centric research. Finally, it provides empirical evidence for refined planning of youth-friendly waterfront spaces.