Given the rapid increase in urban pet populations and the escalating confl icts arising from human-pet coexistence in public spaces, optimizing public spaces in high-density urban areas from the perspective of human-pet mutual friendliness has become an important issue. Focusing on typical sitting areas along urban riverside greenways, this study selects the Xuhui Riverside Greenway in Shanghai as an empirical case. By integrating fi eld investigation, questionnaire surveys, and data analysis based on the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) model, the study establishes an evaluation system for human-pet mutual friendliness in urban greenway staying spaces, consisting of fi ve primary indicators and 23 secondary factors. The study clarifi es differences in spatial needs and confl ict focal points between pet owners and non-pet owners in space use and reveals key infl uencing factors commonly recognized by both groups as well as their cognitive diff erences. Based on the IPA results, factors such as environmental permeability and nighttime lighting, the scale and quality of pet activity areas, the physical separation between pet zones and highly sensitive functional areas, and the enforcement of spatial rules are identifi ed as important factors aff ecting the level of human-pet mutual friendliness in urban greenway staying spaces. This study provides theoretical references and technical support for optimizing human-pet mutual friendliness in linear public spaces in linear public spaces in high-density cities.