Search Results (81)

Greenwashing refers to the fabrication of environmental claims or the exploitation of unreliable data to support an unjustified green image. This study examines how greenwashing undermines sustainable marketing communication and consumer management by eroding trust-based brand–consumer relationships. Grounded in an integrated framework that combines the Theory of Planned Behavior, Expectation Confirmation Theory, and Consumer–Brand Relationship Theory, the research develops a cohesive model linking brand expectations, belief disconfirmation, consumer confusion, brand trust, and loyalty. Survey data from 375 Lebanese consumers were analyzed using structural equation modeling, confirming that subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral beliefs significantly shape expectations toward green brands. When greenwashing is perceived, these expectations result in belief disconfirmation, which in turn heightens confusion, reduces trust, and weakens brand loyalty. The findings highlight that while greenwashing may offer short-term reputational benefits, it functions as a critical barrier to sustainable consumption by discouraging authentic engagement with environmentally responsible products. Theoretically, the study advances sustainable marketing literature by identifying expectation disconfirmation and confusion as psychological mechanisms that obstruct progress toward SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The study’s innovation lies in integrating three behavioral and relational theories into a unified framework that captures both cognitive (disconfirmation, confusion) and relational (trust, loyalty) mechanisms. This theoretical integration offers a transferable analytical model that can be replicated across markets, generating broader insights into how deceptive sustainability communication affects consumer–brand dynamics. It also contextualizes these mechanisms within a developing-market setting, where weak regulation and fragile institutional trust amplify the risks of greenwashing. Practically, the study emphasizes the need for transparent sustainability communication as both an ethical responsibility and a consumer management strategy essential for fostering loyalty. For policymakers, the results underscore the importance of stronger regulatory oversight, eco-labeling standards, and consumer protection frameworks to mitigate deceptive sustainability claims. Full article

Urban streetscapes are among the most frequently encountered spatial environments in daily life, and their restorative visual features have a significant impact on well-being. Although existing studies have revealed the relationship between streetscape environments and perceived restorativeness, there remains a lack of scalable, data-driven methods for quantifying such perception at the street level. This study proposes an interpretable and replicable framework for predicting streetscape restorativeness by integrating semantic segmentation, perceptual evaluation, and machine learning techniques. Taking Liwan District of Guangzhou as a case study, street-view images (SVIs) were collected and processed using the Mask2Former model to extract the following five key visual metrics: greenness, openness, enclosure, walkability, and imageability. Based on the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), an online questionnaire was designed from four dimensions (fascination, being away, compatibility, and extent) to score a random sample of images. A random forest model was then trained to predict the perceptual levels of the full dataset, followed by K-means clustering to identify spatial distribution patterns. The results revealed that there were significant differences in visual characteristics among high, medium, and low restorativeness street types. The proposed framework enables scalable, data-driven evaluation of perceived restorativeness across diverse urban streetscapes. By embedding perceptual metrics into large-scale urban analysis, the framework offers a replicable and efficient approach for identifying streets with low restorative potential—thus providing urban planners and policymakers with a novel tool for prioritizing street-level renewal, improving public well-being, and supporting perception-oriented urban design without the need for labor-intensive fieldwork. Full article

Street design quality and socio-economic factors jointly influence housing prices, but their intertwined effects and spatial variations remain under-quantified. Housing prices not only reflect residents’ neighborhood experiences but also stem from the spillover value of public streets perceived and used by different users. This study takes Tianjin as a case and views the street environment as an immediate experience proxy for through-travelers, combining street view images and crowdsourced perception data to extract both subjective and objective indicators of the street environment, and integrating neighborhood and location characteristics. We use Geographical-XGBoost to evaluate the relative contributions of multiple factors to housing prices and their spatial variations. The results show that incorporating both subjective and objective street information into the Hedonic Pricing Model (HPM) improves its explanatory power, while local modeling with G-XGBoost further reveals significant heterogeneity in the strength and direction of effects across different locations. The results indicate that incorporating both subjective and objective street information into the HPM enhances explanatory power, while local modeling with G-XGBoost reveals significant heterogeneity in the strength and direction of effects across different locations. Street greening, educational resources, and transportation accessibility are consistently associated with higher housing prices, but their strength varies by location. Core urban areas exhibit a “counterproductive effect” in terms of complexity and recognizability, while peripheral areas show a “barely acceptable effect,” which may increase cognitive load and uncertainty for through-travelers. In summary, street environments and socio-economic conditions jointly influence housing prices via a “corridor-side–community-side” dual-pathway: the former (enclosure, safety, recognizability) corresponds to immediate improvements for through-travelers, while the latter (education and public services) corresponds to long-term improvements for residents. Therefore, core urban areas should control design complexity and optimize human-scale safety cues, while peripheral areas should focus on enhancing public services and transportation, and meeting basic quality thresholds with green spaces and open areas. Urban renewal within a 15 min walking radius of residential areas is expected to collaboratively improve daily travel experiences and neighborhood quality for both residents and through-travelers, supporting differentiated housing policy development and enhancing overall quality of life. Full article

The present study investigates the psychological impact of lighting color on spatial impressions within indoor settings, drawing on Mehrabian and Russell’s PAD model. The purpose of this study is to explore potential variations in spatial impressions, encompassing affectivity, tranquility, and thermality, across six different lighting colors (i.e., red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple). A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted with 101 participants, utilizing a color-changing LED lighting fixture to expose participants to actual lighting conditions rather than simulated images. The findings revealed significant differences in spatial impressions among the six lighting colors, indicating that the choice of lighting color has an impact on how people perceive space impressions. Blue lighting elicited the most favorable affective responses, while red lighting was perceived most negatively. Although purple lighting yielded the highest tranquility mean, it was not statistically different from other cool hues and was also associated with sleepiness and dullness. By incorporating secondary colors and employing real-time lighting exposure, this study offers a novel contribution to existing research on color and lighting. Full article

Regenerative tourism, as an emerging form of tourism, poses both opportunities and challenges for cities and urban managers. Existing research has largely examined its impact on travel intentions from a unidimensional perspective, lacking a comprehensive analytical framework. This study adopts regenerative composite cultural spaces as the research context and constructs a sequential mediation model incorporating green and cultural consumption values, city image, and attitudes toward participation in regenerative tourism, analyzed using SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal that city image significantly influences value perceptions, with perceived value mediating this relationship. Furthermore, green and cultural consumption values play critical roles in shaping travel intentions, confirming differentiated transmission mechanisms across multiple pathways. Overall, the study demonstrates that tourists’ cognition, values, and attitudes jointly determine their decisions in regenerative tourism, offering theoretical insights and practical implications for its sustainable development. Full article

In the face of the challenge of urban water resource degradation, green infrastructure construction has become a core strategy in modern urban water resource management. Urban aquatic horticulture (UAH), as an important component of this strategy, possesses the dual value of ecological purification and landscape aesthetics. However, its practical implementation is often constrained by public awareness and acceptance. This study aims to address the mismatch between the dual values of urban aquatic horticulture and public perception, and to develop an optimised plant selection strategy that integrates purification functions with public perception. Based on literature reviews, 18 images of aquatic plant landscapes showcasing different ornamental forms, species richness, and life types were created. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 320 participants to assess their perceptions of landscape aesthetic appeal and visual preferences, and a quantitative relationship model was established using multiple stepwise linear regression analysis. The public’s aesthetic perception of aquatic plant landscapes with different ornamental forms and species richness varies significantly, with flowering plant landscapes more likely to evoke aesthetic perception than non-flowering landscapes. The public’s visual preferences for landscape attributes significantly influence their aesthetic perception of aquatic plant landscapes. A multiple stepwise linear regression equation was established to model the relationship between the aesthetic perception of aquatic plant community landscapes and the public’s visual preferences for landscape attributes. There is no significant association between species richness and perceived landscape aesthetic appeal. The study developed an optimised selection strategy for aquatic plants that integrates purification functions with public perception, providing theoretical basis and practical guidance for the scientific configuration of aquatic horticultural systems in urban green infrastructure. In landscape design, flowering plants with ornamental value should be prioritised, with emphasis on landscape layers, colour, and spatial shaping to enhance public acceptance and promote the sustainable development of urban water resource management. Full article

Sustainability has become a key focus in the hospitality industry, with travelers increasingly seeking accommodations with strong environmental commitments. As part of this trend, many hotels are adopting green marketing strategies to improve their brand image and appeal to eco-conscious consumers. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that these strategies are perceived as genuine rather than as “greenwashing,” which undermines their effectiveness and harms the brand’s credibility. This study examines the impact of green marketing strategies on the brand image of 5-star hotels in Lima, Peru. A survey of 206 hotel clients reveals that the implementation of green marketing positively influences the perceived benefits, corporate image, trust, and loyalty associated with these establishments. The results highlight that younger generations, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, are more likely to value sustainability initiatives, making them an important target for hotels seeking to enhance their brand image through eco-friendly practices. The findings suggest that effective communication of sustainable practices and transparency are essential to avoid greenwashing and build customer loyalty. This research contributes to the limited knowledge on green marketing in the Peruvian hotel sector and provides insights for both hotel managers and researchers on the importance of integrating genuine sustainability efforts into their marketing strategies. Full article

Once confined to mourning and burial, urban cemeteries are now being reimagined as multifunctional public spaces integrated into everyday urban life. Responding to this evolving role, this study investigates how metropolitan cemeteries in Tokyo are used, perceived, and socially negotiated. Although institutional initiatives have promoted the integration of cemeteries into green infrastructure, empirical research on user behavior, perception, and willingness remains limited—particularly in East Asian contexts. To address this gap, the study combines unstructured user-generated data (Google Maps reviews and images) with structured questionnaire responses to examine behavioral patterns, emotional responses, perceived landscape elements, and behavioral intentions across both urban and suburban cemeteries. Findings reveal that non-commemorative uses—ranging from nature appreciation and cultural engagement to recreational walking—are common in urban cemeteries and are closely associated with positive sentiment and seasonal perception. Factor analysis identifies two dimensions of behavioral intention—active and passive engagement—and reveals group-level differences: commemorative visitors show greater inclination toward active engagement, whereas multi-purpose visitors tend toward passive forms. Urban cemeteries are more frequently associated with non-commemorative behaviors and higher willingness to engage than suburban sites. These results underscore the role of cultural norms, prior experience, and spatial typology in shaping cemetery use, and offer practical insights for managing cemeteries as inclusive and culturally meaningful components of the urban landscape. Full article

Indonesia’s worsening air pollution and traffic emissions have thrust electric vehicles (EVs) into the spotlight, but what really drives Indonesians to make the switch? This study integrates Protection Motivation Theory with green branding and policy frameworks to explain electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Indonesia. Using a nationwide survey (n = 986) and partial-least-squares structural-equation modeling, we test how environmental awareness, consumer expectancy, threat appraisal, and coping appraisal shape adoption both directly and through green brand image (GBI), while perceived policy incentives moderate the GBI–adoption link. The model accounts for 54% of the variance in adoption intention. These findings highlight that combining public awareness campaigns, compelling green brand messaging, and carefully calibrated policy incentives is essential for accelerating Indonesia’s transition to cleaner transport. Full article

Street view imagery has become a vital tool for assessing urban street greenery, with the Green View Index (GVI) serving as the predominant metric. However, while GVI effectively quantifies overall greenery, it fails to capture the nuanced, human-scale experience of urban greenery. This study introduces the Front-Facing Green View Index (FFGVI), a metric designed to reflect the perspective of pedestrians traversing urban streets. The FFGVI computation involves three key steps: (1) calculating azimuths for road points, (2) retrieving front-facing street view images, and (3) applying semantic segmentation to identify green pixels in street view imagery. Building on this, this study proposes the Street Canyon Green View Index (SCGVI), a novel approach for identifying boulevards that evoke perceptions of comfort, spaciousness, and aesthetic quality akin to room-like streetscapes. Applying these indices to a case study in Nanjing, China, this study shows that (1) FFGVI exhibited a strong correlation with GVI (R = 0.88), whereas the association between SCGVI and GVI was marginally weaker (R = 0.78). GVI tends to overestimate perceived greenery due to the influence of lateral views dominated by side-facing vegetation; (2) FFGVI provides a more human-centered perspective, mitigating biases introduced by sampling point locations and obstructions such as large vehicles; and (3) SCGVI effectively identifies prominent boulevards that contribute to a positive urban experience. These findings suggest that FFGVI and SCGVI are valuable metrics for informing urban planning, enhancing urban tourism, and supporting greening strategies at the street level. Full article

With growing environmental consciousness and projections that green markets will represent 10% of global market value by 2030, a significant gap persists between consumers’ stated environmental concerns and their actual purchasing behaviour for green products. This study investigates how green brand positioning influences consumer purchase intention for green technology products, examining the mediating roles of self-image congruence and functional congruence, and the moderating effects of product involvement level and product optionality. A quantitative survey was conducted with 354 US participants who possess at least a bachelor’s degree and have experience with technology products, using validated scales through structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. The findings demonstrate a significant positive relationship between green brand positioning and purchase intention. Self-image congruence partially mediated this relationship, while functional congruence also served as a significant mediator. The product involvement level positively moderated the mediation effect of self-image congruence, whereas product optionality negatively moderated the mediation effect of functional congruence. Green brand positioning effectively enhances purchase intention when consumers perceive alignment with their environmental self-image and when products maintain a functional equivalence to non-green alternatives. Companies should focus on building environmental self-congruence while ensuring product quality to maximise green marketing effectiveness and bridge the intention–behaviour gap. Full article

Green perception underlies pro-greenspace behavior, but external stimuli and behavior are not always aligned. Understanding how residents’ perceived external green stimuli influence pro-greenspace behavior, and how the “good citizen” image (face) shapes this relationship, is essential. The study aims to deepen the understanding of the complex mechanisms driving urban residents’ pro-greenspace behavior by constructing an extended Stimulus-Organism-Response theoretical framework (C-SOR) that includes contextual factors. Using data from a 2024 field survey of 959 residents from Shanghai, China, this study employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to examine the main effect of green perception on pro-greenspace behavior. A mediation model is employed to analyze the mediating role of nature connectedness, while a moderation model tests the moderating effect of “good citizen” image (face) on the stimulus–behavior relationship. The results show that green perception significantly promotes pro-greenspace behavior, positively influencing it through nature connectedness. However, the “good citizen” image (face) exerts a motivational crowding-out effect on green perception. Further analysis reveals individual heterogeneity in the expression of these effects across different types of pro-greenspace behavior. The findings highlight the importance of green space experience and the activation of environmental wisdom in traditional culture, offering new perspectives for developing strategies to guide pro-greenspace behavior. Full article

Urban street comfort is a crucial measure of street environmental quality. However, traditional evaluations primarily focus on physical elements, often neglecting pedestrian perceptions. In this study, considering five core evaluation dimensions—safety, mobility, aesthetics, perceptibility, and convenience—an innovative quantitative evaluation model is proposed to assess pedestrian-perceived comfort on urban streets by integrating physical environmental factors and subjective experiences. This analysis comprises two steps: evaluation indicator extraction and weight application. Indicators are extracted from multi-source data (street-view images, real-time traffic data, points of interest, and pedestrian surveys) using a deep learning method. A comprehensive weighting method combining entropy weight and the analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the relative importance of each factor. This study focuses on Nanjing as a case study, and the results reveal significant variations across the five dimensions and their 11 secondary indicators. Street environment safety (0.143) is critical for street safety, while the degree of street traffic congestion (0.121) dominates street mobility. Street aesthetics is primarily influenced by building enclosure (0.105), and street convenience is strongly affected by the number of surrounding bus stops (0.260). Spatial analysis indicates higher comfort levels in urban centers due to well-developed infrastructure, whereas peripheral areas face challenges from inadequate facilities. Notably, areas around parks demonstrate elevated pedestrian-perceived comfort levels, highlighting the importance of green spaces. Overall, the proposed evaluation system provides new insights from the perspective of pedestrian experience and offers valuable guidance for urban planning and policy. Full article

In recent years, increased environmental awareness has led consumers to adopt more eco-friendly lifestyles, including choosing green products to reduce their impact on the environment. With a particular focus on the green consumption behavior with regard to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from two leading brands, Tesla (automotive) and Gogoro (scooter), in Taiwan, this study investigated the relationships among green perceived quality (GPQ), green perceived value (GPV), green brand image (GBI), green trust (GTR), and green purchase intention (GPI). After collecting 203 environmentally conscious respondents who are familiar with Tesla and Gogoro BEVs, the PLS-SEM was used to verify the research framework. The findings demonstrate that GPQ significantly impacts GBI and GPV; GBI significantly impacts GPV and GTR; and GPV significantly impacts GTR. As the key determinants of purchasing BEVs, GPQ, GBI, and GTR have significant effects on GPI, whereas the effect of GPV on GPI is not significant. In addition, this study also explored the moderation effect on green purchase behavior, revealing that the brand-specific cognition of Tesla and Gogoro moderates the relationships between green attributes (such as GPQ, GBI, and GTR) and GPI. This study contributes a more comprehensive understanding of the psychological and behavioral drivers behind green consumption behavior within the context of BEVs. This study not only sheds light on consumer behavior within dual-market dynamics in Taiwan but also offers a framework for other markets with similar environmental and infrastructural challenges. These insights can assist BEV companies to develop their sustainable marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance of developing a strong green brand image and green trust to boost BEV sales from the perspective of green perceived quality. Full article

Concerns about environmental protection and sustainable consumption increased among Generation Z, as a consequence of more perceived risks emerging in the context of climate change and depletion of natural resources. The aim of the present research was to identify the main factors that influence the intention to purchase eco-products among the young generation. Quantitative marketing research was carried out on a sample of 269 Gen Z. The research results proved that purchasing intention for eco-products is strongly influenced by the perceived quality of environmentally friendly products, consumer consciousness about eco-products, perceived value of green products, and consumer trust in ecological products. Lower influences were recorded in terms of perceived price and perceived availability of eco-products, with improved total effects when considering the mediating role of eco-trust. Consequently, the provision of eco-products could lead to image benefits for organizations. Full article