Beyond Formal Parks: Youth Preferences and Experiential Quality in Informal Public Spaces

Abstract

Urban development encompasses not only physical infrastructure but also the social dynamics that shape everyday urban life, with public spaces playing a crucial role in supporting interaction and community activities. However, informal public spaces remain relatively underexplored in urban research, particularly regarding young people’s preferences. This study aims to analyze youth preferences toward informal public spaces and identify the key factors influencing those preferences. A descriptive quantitative approach was employed in selected urban areas of Samarinda City, Indonesia. Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 150 university students aged 18 to 23 years who actively use informal public spaces. Youth preference was treated as the dependent variable, while accessibility, comfort, facilities, safety, location conditions, spatial flexibility, visual attractiveness, and place attachment were examined as independent variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis. The results show that the regression model explains 53.6% of the variance in youth preferences. Visual attractiveness emerged as the strongest and statistically significant positive predictor, whereas location conditions demonstrated a significant negative effect. Other variables showed positive but statistically insignificant relationships, and comfort was excluded from the final model due to multicollinearity. These findings suggest that experiential and contextual qualities appear to play a more prominent role than purely functional attributes in shaping youth engagement with informal public spaces, highlighting the importance of aesthetic and environmental considerations in people-centered urban planning.