Scenic Influences on Walking Preferences in Urban Forest Parks from Top-View and Eye-Level Perspectives

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Urban forest parks offer valuable spaces for walking activities that benefit both physical and mental health. However, trails in current park designs are often underutilised, and the scene layout does not fully meet the preferences of walkers. Therefore, understanding the connection between scene characteristics and walking preferences is essential. This study aimed to develop an ensemble protocol to assess the role of scene characteristics in walking preferences, using Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park as an illustrative example. A walking preference heat map was created using a combination of crowdsourced GPS data. The scene characteristics were quantified using panoramic photographs, drone orthophotos, computer vision, and deep learning techniques. Taking spatial dependence into account, the key findings include the following: (1) From an overhead view, the shortest paths, waterbody density, and recreational facility selection positively influenced walking preferences, while secondary asphalt trails had a negative effect. (2) At the eye level, aesthetically pleasing landscape elements, such as flowers and bridges, attracted more pedestrians, while closed trails were less favoured. (3) Eye-level features explained 43.5% of the variation in walking preference, with a stronger influence on walking preference compared to 22.4% for overhead features. (4) Natural elements were generally more significant than artificial ones; the feature ranking of significant impact was flowers > NACHr1000 > visual perception > water body density > bridge > SVF > retail > entertainment > asphalt. This study proposes a flexible protocol that provides urban forest park managers and planners with practical tools to create a more walker-friendly environment and more accurate trail alignment, as well as a solid empirical basis for assessing the use of urban forest parks.