Abstract
Rapidly growing cities often struggle with insufficient green space, although information on when and where more green space is needed can be difficult to collect. Big data on the density of individuals in cities collected from mobile phones can estimate the usage intensity of urban green space. Taking Zhengzhou’s central city as an example, we combine the real-time human movement data provided by the Baidu Heat Map, which indicates the density of mobile phones, with vector overlays of different kinds of green space. We used the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method to estimate differentials in green space usage between weekdays and weekends, utilizing the location and the density of the aggregation of people with powered-up mobile phones. Compared with weekends, the aggregation of people in urban green spaces on workdays tends to vary more in time and be more concentrated in space, while the highest usage is more stable on weekends. More importantly, the percentage of weekday green space utilization is higher in small parks and green strips in the city, with the density increasing in those small areas, while the green space at a greater distance to the city center is underutilized. This study validates the potential of applying Baidu Heat Map data to provide a dynamic perspective of green space use, and highlights the need for more green space in city centers.
Highlights
Creating urban green space has many economic and ecological benefits, such as improving air quality [1], mitigating the urban heat-island effect [2], providing wildlife habitats [3,4], preventing floods and soil erosion [5], increasing recreational opportunities [6], enhancing aesthetic value [7], promoting physical and mental health [8], and encouraging people’s sense of spiritual well-being [9]
Comparison of the Area Used per Hour of Urban Green Space
We can conclude from our findings that: (1) for high-density cities, urban green space usage is correlated with the type of green space; (2) commercial facilities and commuting pathways have the greatest influence on the popularity of urban green spaces; (3) green of users and to provide the most suitable green-space environments
Summary
Creating urban green space has many economic and ecological benefits, such as improving air quality [1], mitigating the urban heat-island effect [2], providing wildlife habitats [3,4], preventing floods and soil erosion [5], increasing recreational opportunities [6], enhancing aesthetic value [7], promoting physical and mental health [8], and encouraging people’s sense of spiritual well-being [9]. A number of studies have examined the factors associated with people’s utilization of urban green space [10,11] and the extent and frequency of urban green-space use [12]. This knowledge is critical to the planning of green space in high-density cities, collecting green space usage data is expensive and time-consuming if collected in person in the field. The Chinese government began systematic planning of urban green space comparatively later than other countries. Landscape architects and urban planners have considerable discretion to meet the policy target (often determined more by political processes than technical feasibility), these professions must determine how and where to add more green space
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