Design for restoration: Comparative analysis of two open public spaces in Belgrade

Abstract

This paper examines the role of open public urban spaces in supporting users' psychological restoration within dense built environments. The research is based on the concept of restoration in environmental psychology, which refers to the process of "renewing physical, psychological, and social resources that have been depleted through everyday activities". The paper addresses a gap in the existing literature by questioning the methodological bias that arises from assessing restoration in urban spaces through the recurring opposition between "positive natural" and "negative urban" environments. The paper aims to develop an evaluation matrix for analysing the design characteristics of open public urban spaces, and to test its applicability through a pilot study of two such spaces in Belgrade. The matrix is developed based on theoretical analysis, by combining Bornioli and Subiza-Pérez's theoretical model, structured around three levels of evaluation (containment, passive restoration, and active restoration), with Grave, Neven, and Mohammadi's classification of spatial elements. The matrix was applied to two public spaces in Belgrade, Cvetni trg (Flower Square) and Park Starine Novaka. Pilot evaluation was conducted through field observation, photo-documentation, and multi-criteria expert evaluation using a 1-5 rating scale. The results indicate that, although the selected spaces are similar in size and position within the urban structure, they contribute to restorativeness at different levels and through different spatial characteristics. Park Starine Novaka shows stronger potential through natural elements of passive restoration, while Cvetni trg contributes more through architectural diversity, historical complexity, and symbolic identity. The paper proposes an evaluation matrix as an analytical tool for researchers and defines practical guidelines for design improvements for the two selected public spaces in Belgrade.