Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 in the relationship between consumer-facing businesses and health and well-being remains understudied. In response, we utilized mixed methods to examine the perceived psychological benefits of urban parks and consumer-facing businesses among students from the University of California, Irvine before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Overall, findings from photo-based close-ended questions indicated no significant disparity in perceived restorative quality, sentiment, and preference for urban third places before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. However, crowded third places exhibited a notable decline in sentiment and preference for third spaces following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Inductive content analysis of open-ended questions indicated a rise in visits to eating/drinking establishments and shops/stores post-COVID-19 lockdowns and a shift towards outdoor venues for activities. Findings support policy and planning efforts that promote healthy communities by maximizing the benefit of third places.