Change of Residents’ Attitudes and Behaviors toward Urban Green Space Pre- and Post- COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed and influenced people’s attitudes and behaviors toward visiting green spaces. This paper aims to explore the association between residents’ health and urban green spaces (UGS) through an in-depth study of changes in residents’ use of UGS under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wuhan East Lake Greenway Park was selected as the location for the field survey and in-depth interviews. At the same time, an online survey was also conducted (total number = 302) regarding participants’ physical and mental health and their attitude and behavior toward the UGS. A paired sample t-test and binary logistic regression were performed to investigate the association between participants’ health and UGS during COVID-19. The results show that: (1) the COVID-19 pandemic has primarily changed the leisure patterns of parks, with potential impacts on the physical and mental health of participants; (2) the purpose, frequency, timing, and preferred areas of participants’ park visits have changed to varying degrees after the pandemic, highlighting the important role and benefits of UGSs; (3) the physical and mental health of participants and urban development issues reflected by UGS use are prominent. This study reveals that awareness of the construction and protection of UGSs is an important prerequisite for ensuring the health of urban residents.