Leisure Spaces Research Articles

Outdoor leisure with dogs: an empirical evaluation of visiting shared outdoor leisure spaces in the UK

ABSTRACT This study examined visits to shared outdoor leisure spaces (SOLS) with dogs, such as parks, woodlands, and beaches in the UK. Based on past qualitative and descriptive data, hypotheses and a conceptual model were developed. An online survey of dog guardians (n = 602) was analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the impacts of human intrinsic motivation; dog well-being; the community benefit; and social bonding on the components of leisure involvement (attraction, centrality, and self-expression), and subsequently intention and visiting behavior in relation to SOLS. The results showed that human intrinsic motivation and community benefit had a positive impact on all aspects of leisure involvement, while dog well-being only affected attraction, and social bonding impacted centrality and self-expression. These findings contribute to a better understanding of dog guardians’ behavior of visiting SOLS in the UK, providing insights for stakeholders responsible for designing, managing, and promoting these spaces.

Community disaster resilience in Brazilian small urban centers

Brazilian small urban centers are facing several disasters impacts due to their singular environmental, economic, and social characteristics. A comprehensive approach encompassing multiple dimensions of resilience and adaptation is essential to minimize material and human losses. This article analyzes the community disaster resilience of 213 small urban centers in the Brazilian Southeast region, affected by recurrent events, such as floods, flash floods, and landslides. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach. First, a quantitative analysis was conducted at the municipal level using statistical techniques to develop a community disaster resilience index, incorporating social, economic, infrastructure, institutional, and community dimensions. Simultaneously, a qualitative assessment evaluated the levels of social capital at the intra-municipal scale among populations affected by disasters through an online questionnaire. The results demonstrated a direct correlation between community disaster resilience levels and the economic and urban development of the assessed municipalities. Lower levels of community disaster resilience were associated with higher vulnerability of the population, characterized by limited socioeconomic development, inadequate housing conditions, insufficient urban infrastructure for transportation, healthcare, leisure, and social support services, and ineffective implementation of public development policies. Moreover, the absence and limited diversity of leisure spaces that foster social connections contributed to reduced community engagement and participation, resulting in lower levels of social capital. This study underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to enhance community resilience in small urban centers facing recurrent disasters. The findings provide insights for policymakers and practitioners to prioritize interventions and investments in economic development, infrastructure improvement, and social capital enhancement as crucial elements of disaster risk reduction and resilience-building efforts.

Disadvantaged communities and leisure: an ethnographic study in the countryside of the Brazilian Amazon

ABSTRACT Historically, hegemonic leisure concepts, practices, and spaces have been conceived and imposed upon society, even in the face of agency and resistance. In this context, this study sought to analyse leisure practices in a disadvantaged community in the Brazilian Amazon. From an ethnographic perspective, informal conversations, participant observation, and interviews were conducted. The results revealed that although the community reproduces hegemonic understandings, it has practices and spaces of entertainment, including conversations, rock doido [crazy rock], jogo do bicho [the animal game], and outings. These are characterized by unique dynamics that enable residents to exist and resist daily.

Exploring urban co-presence and migrant integration on Beirut’s seafront

Abstract This article focuses on investigating how uses and users of Beirut’s seafront spaces reflect city demographics and how these may offer specific affordances to migrant communities. The article documents co-presence and experiences of recreation and interactions to explore whether these can be meaningfully described as integrated leisure spaces. Beirut is a post-conflict, high migration city, and the country of Lebanon hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees per capita globally. The fieldwork and data capture took a multi-scalar approach linking spatial, temporal, and social qualities of using these public spaces through empirical work including a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, both conducted on site. The triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods supported a fuller understanding of integration both in terms of physical co-presence and the experiential qualities of spaces used by diverse communities. Our findings demonstrate that though each of the four seafront spaces was used by people from a range of national backgrounds, there were important differences. Income level and gender were important intersecting factors. Time of day and week also shaped who was present in each space. The qualitative data informed better understandings of the experience of the seafront spaces by visitors from migrant backgrounds, finding that time by the sea was highly valued by many, but was not necessarily an escape from some of the prejudices and social inequalities found in Lebanon.

(CYBER)SPACES FOR LEISURE

The article defines the specifics of the development of contemporary society as a space of leisure. In particular, the key cyberspaces of leisure are distinguished. It is noted that the development of society since the second half of the 20th century consists precisely in the release of time and the formation of leisure spaces, when a person is devoted to himself, does not solve problems related to survival or social responsibilities. It is noted that a contemporary person spends his free time mainly (having fun) on the Internet. Therefore, the contemporary social world, created by the latest technologies, is a cyberspace of leisure, in which people increasingly produce something, create, engage in certain activities primarily for entertainment. In our opinion, these closely intersecting spaces are defined by the human desire for communication, play, creativity and consumption. In contrast to the philosophical tradition, which was more focused on the so-called positive forms of leisure (self-development, education, creativity), when entertainment was considered only as one of the types of leisure, in our opinion, contemporary cyber spaces of leisure correspond precisely to the entertaining attitude of a person to himself and the world and in the end constitute this attitude as a kind of worldview perspective, form a human of (cyber)leisure. A human of (cyber)leisure demonstrates his desire for: communication as a possibility of self/mutual-(re)presentation, embodied in the search for various forms of community; playful nature of self/mutual-improvement, which presents differences and personal achievements; creative activity that manifests self/mutual-reinvention of personalities, and a focus on the products of activity that can be freely consumed, stimulating the creation of new.

Performance arts, public space, and early childhood

This article delves into the role of esthetic experience in multidimensional early childhood development and the revitalization of public spaces as intergenerational convivial experiences. To this end, it examines the artistic action EmQuanta, which was carried out in squares and parks in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, after the covid-19 pandemic. Dialogues are established with authors in the fields of esthetics, performance, art education, and public policies to reflect on the contribution of the performing arts to the esthetic experience during early childhood, intergenerational coexistence, and the reinvention of the uses of public space, in contact with the vital power of green spaces within the city. The analysis reveals that the artistic action in question contributes to the implementation of public policies for early childhood in São Paulo by creating leisure spaces dedicated to this demographic, fostering a qualified convivial experience, and contributing to child development through an esthetic experience focused on the unique needs of early childhood.

Do children have a right to do nothing? Exploring the place of passive leisure in Australian school age care

In 2021, the Australian Government commissioned a review and update of My Time Our Place, its curriculum framework for School-Age Care services for primary-age children. One update trialled was the introduction of passive leisure. Whilst children’s passive use of leisure time is recognised as a right, it is often problematised and associated with negative health outcomes. This article explores a trial of passive leisure provision. It provides hopeful evidence that passive leisure spaces can be interactive, conversational and restful.

Reka Bentuk Dalaman Rumah Rumpai Laut dalam Mempromosikan Habitat Kontemporari dan Mempromosikan Pelancongan di Kampung Yandunjiao di Bandar Rongcheng (Wilayah Shandong, China)

In the process of developing cities and regions, traditional Chinese architecture has been destroyed to a certain extent and the existing traditional architecture has become particularly precious. There is a contradiction within the modernization development phases and the protection of traditional architecture. To find a sustainable development way for the traditional villages is a problem that needs to be considered. The purpose of this study is to investigate how to preserve and redesign traditional architecture such as Seaweed House to adapt them to contemporary life and to promote tourism and economy of the region. The methods of fieldwork, participant observation and interview were used in the study. The findings indicated that the local residents have no initiative for the protection of traditional buildings. There are also certain deficiencies in the building, including a lack of space for modern equipment and leisure spaces in the Seaweed House. There is a lack of privacy in these dwellings due to the wooden structure and poor sound insulation between the rooms. The owner of the house used new and inappropriate materials when they renovated their house in recent years, resulting in a chaotic style and aesthetic. Some solutions are provided for these issues throughout this research study. It was also found that many traditional buildings have a lot of common problems in the process of protection and development. Once these problems are solved, the protection and development of traditional Chinese architecture will have progress.

Characterizing and Measuring the Environmental Amenities of Urban Recreation Leisure Regions Based on Image and Text Fusion Perception: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

Quantitative evaluation of the environmental amenities (EAs) in urban recreation and leisure regions (URLRs) can provide stronger support for the government to enhance the quality of urban leisure space and improve the well-being of urban residents. Considering the diversity of leisure spaces and the complexity of environmental perception perspectives, this study proposes a comprehensive environmental measurement framework based on image and text fusion perception, which utilizes big data to perceive and quantify the EA features of URLRs comprehensively and efficiently. The study of the URLRs in Nanjing, China, was conducted as an empirical study. The results indicate the following: (1) When it comes to leisure environments, the top concerns for most people are service, hygiene, reputation, and walkability. (2) The EA level of URLRs in Nanjing generally decreases from the center to the outside and shows regional differentiation. (3) EA features in Nanjing’s URLRs exhibit a spatial pattern of similarity in the center and at each district’s edges. This study enhances our understanding of leisure regions’ environmental features that contribute to quality. The measurement results support understanding the spatial heterogeneity patterns of urban leisure activities and vibrancy. Furthermore, valuable urban planning and policy suggestions are made to promote sustainable urban development.

Healthy ageing in a gentrified city: perspectives of older adults from Porto

Abstract Background Neighbourhood transformations like gentrification can affect health outcomes. Gentrification is understood as a set of processes of sociospatial change driven by investments in the built environment oriented to the preferences of affluent people. However, little is known about the impact of gentrification on older adults. We aimed to understand how older people perceive gentrification how it relates to healthy ageing. Methods This qualitative study, conducted in 2022, was based on nineteen semi-structured interviews of older adults (≥60 years) from the EPIPorto cohort living in Porto, a hotspot of gentrification. Individuals were selected through purposive sampling based on four features: sex, education, homeownership, and area of residence. Inductive thematic analysis was performed using NVivo. Results Most respondents identified changes in the physical environment and how it is used due to gentrification, namely concerning green and leisure spaces, food and beverages outlets, housing and commerce. It was also mentioned that gentrification leads to a shortage of affordable housing and weakens social cohesion. Participants described that changes in the physical environment due to gentrification can contribute positively to their well-being, while others admitted a higher cost of living and increased vulnerability to worse mental health. Yet, some interviewees revealed little or no influence of gentrification on healthy ageing. Conclusions Gentrification has dual and disparate effects on older adult's health and well-being. Policies should maximize the health benefits of gentrification, while protecting citizens from the negative effects. Key messages • Considering people’s perspectives on gentrification and healthy ageing is essential to plan age-friendly cities and achieving better health outcomes.

Fear City, Cop City and Other Tales, a Call for Police Research

It has been noted that crime and enforcement are likely a defining part of an evolving leisure experience. The aims of this manuscript were to call for research to focus on this phenomenon of the shooting and killing of people, particularly Black citizenry, by law enforcement. State sanctioned violence has been consistently wrought in leisure spaces and settings since those 2014–2015 deaths that were noted previously in the Leisure Sciences article, “The Case of the 12-year-old Boy: Or, the Silence of and Relevance to Leisure Research”. An understanding of policing, not police officers, and an understanding of society, not social behavior are the needs in the research of a legitimate phenomenon that occurs within the space, time, and activities of leisure, sport, and tourism.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on family leisure activities of working parents with pre-school aged children

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown in South Africa led to the closure of leisure spaces, and Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, forcing parents who were non-essential employees to work from home. This created a crisis for families, with significant consequences for family leisure time and activities. This paper explored the impact of the pandemic for parents with pre-school aged children (PSAC) and aimed to identify changes to family leisure during this period. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires (n = 140) among parents at three selected ECD centres in Cape Town. The findings indicated that participants experienced higher emotional and tiredness levels because of the pandemic-induced changes, often neglecting themselves in their attempt to balance work, life and care for their PSAC, without their traditional support structures. The findings confirm a significant impact on family leisure, with leisure activities decreasing, and switching from outdoor, relational to home and family-based activities. The study identifies the type of leisure activities and changes caused by the pandemic and the effect it had on parents’ work-life balance and overall wellbeing.

“Gays, it is said, are moving from the swish era into the macho era”: mapping the Butch Shift in the early South African gay press

Drawing from a content analysis of early issues of the gay newspapers, Link/Skakel and Exit, I map the force with which the masculinization of gay culture, the Butch Shift, entered the white gay imaginary in South Africa in the 1980s via transnational exchanges with comparable print and visual cultures from the Global North (especially the United States) and related processes of indigenization. Along with other relevant editorial and commercial content, selected advertising images for South African gay leisure spaces invested in macho iconographies are discussed as prominent sites for shifting white gay male identity away from effeminacy and toward hypermasculinity in this period. The sissyphobia (or anti-effeminacy attitudes), misogyny, and race politics that informed such discourses are also addressed, along with some polemics against the Butch Shift that appeared in Link/Skakel and Exit at the same historical juncture.

Green-blue space exposure changes and impact on individual-level well-being and mental health: a population-wide dynamic longitudinal panel study with linked survey data.

Cross-sectional evidence suggests that living near green and blue spaces benefits mental health; longitudinal evidence is limited. To quantify the impact of changes in green and blue spaces on common mental health disorders, well-being and health service use. A retrospective, dynamic longitudinal panel study. Wales, UK. An e-cohort comprising 99,682,902 observations of 2,801,483 adults (≥ 16 years) registered with a general practice in Wales (2008-2019). A 5312-strong 'National Survey for Wales (NSW) subgroup' was surveyed on well-being and visits to green and blue spaces. Common mental health disorders, general practice records; subjective well-being, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Common mental health disorder and use of general practice services were extracted quarterly from the Welsh Longitudinal General Practice Dataset. Annual ambient greenness exposure, enhanced vegetation index and access to green and blue spaces (2018) from planning and satellite data. Data were linked within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. Multilevel regression models examined associations between exposure to green and blue spaces and common mental health disorders and use of general practice. For the National Survey for Wales subgroup, generalised linear models examined associations between exposure to green and blue spaces and subjective well-being and common mental health disorders. Our longitudinal analyses found no evidence that changes in green and blue spaces through time impacted on common mental health disorders. However, time-aggregated exposure to green and blue spaces contrasting differences between people were associated with subsequent common mental health disorders. Similarly, our cross-sectional findings add to growing evidence that residential green and blue spaces and visits are associated with well-being benefits: Greater ambient greenness (+ 1 enhanced vegetation index) was associated with lower likelihood of subsequently seeking care for a common mental health disorder [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.80, 95% confidence interval, (CI) 0.80 to 0.81] and with well-being with a U-shaped relationship [Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale; enhanced vegetation index beta (adjusted) -10.15, 95% CI -17.13 to -3.17; EVI2 beta (quadratic term; adj.) 12.49, 95% CI 3.02 to 21.97]. Those who used green and blue spaces for leisure reported better well-being, with diminishing extra benefit with increasing time (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale: time outdoors (hours) beta 0.88, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.24, time outdoors2 beta -0.06, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.01) and had 4% lower odds of seeking help for common mental health disorders (AOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.99). Those in urban areas benefited most from greater access to green and blue spaces (AOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.89). Those in material deprivation benefited most from leisure time outdoors (until approximately four hours per week; Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale: time outdoors × in material deprivation: 1.41, 95% CI 0.39 to 2.43; time outdoors2 × in material deprivation -0.18, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.04) although well-being remained generally lower. Longitudinal analyses were restricted by high baseline levels and limited temporal variation in ambient greenness in Wales. Changes in access to green and blue spaces could not be captured annually due to technical issues with national-level planning datasets. Further analyses could investigate mental health impacts in population subgroups potentially most sensitive to local changes in access to specific types of green and blue spaces. Deriving green and blue spaces changes from planning data is needed to overcome temporal uncertainties. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (Project number 16/07/07) and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 11, No. 10. Sarah Rodgers is part-funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast.

“The Best Songs Came from the Gutters”: Tin Pan Alley and the Birth of Manhattan Mass Culture

AbstractIn the early twentieth century, the publishers of Tin Pan Alley revolutionized American music. Focused on the dissemination of a constantly changing set of attention-grabbing songs, leading companies dramatically expanded the market for popular compositions, generating hits that sold millions of copies of sheet music to customers across the country. While publishers aimed at this continental audience, their output was shaped by the urban context in which their businesses first emerged. During these years, local popularity was crucial to national success. As a result, firms sought to engage with new audiences throughout Manhattan, incorporating a host of social and ethnic groups into the structures of commercial entertainment. Over time, Tin Pan Alley’s relationship to these groups—and the distinctive leisure spaces in which they gathered—would define its musical production. It was not simply that publishers molded songs to fit public taste. Rather, the industry and the broader world of commercial entertainment developed together. By exploring this business-influenced process of cultural change, it is possible to gain new perspective on the emergence of American popular song, as well as the consumption-driven dynamics remaking society in the Progressive Era in the United States.

“Are there any other male friendly subs on here?” - online men’s rights groups as simultaneous communities of care and hate, inclusion and exclusion

ABSTRACT Online communities provide spaces and places where (almost) anyone can find like-minded others. This is true of many digital leisure spaces and is especially true for men’s rights and other masculinist groups. In these groups, while they are engaged with acts of misogyny and supremacist discourses, some men meet the fundamental need ‘for meaningful social connection, to be part of a group, and to belong’ as well as to ‘“heal” modern alientation.’ More than simple gatherings, when these groups for men form around a perceived alienation from the mainstream they become spaces ‘to which [people] belong’ and believe that they ‘can act together to create change;’ Southern’s definition of a community of care. This paper establishes these groups as communities of care where care exists under Derridian erasure. This makes them important avenues for anti-feminist and misogynistic ideologies, exclusion, and violence, but through cultures of leisure inclusion and belonging.

Identifying the Spatial Patterns and Influencing Factors of Leisure and Tourism in Xi’an Based on Point of Interest (POI) Data

Leisure and tourism spaces are shared by both residents and tourists seeking a higher quality of life. Most of the literature focuses only on the study of a particular type of leisure or tourism space in cities and lacks an overall exploration of the distribution patterns of urban leisure and tourism formats. Based on the leisure and tourism point of interest (POI) data of 11 districts in Xi’an, this paper uses geospatial analysis to examine the spatial patterns of leisure and tourism facilities and their influencing factors in Xi’an. It is found in this study that the distributions overall and the various types of leisure and tourism spaces in Xi’an show the characteristics of central urban agglomeration and sparse dispersion in the surrounding urban areas. Different types of leisure and tourism patterns have obvious spatial scale dependence, but there are differences in the scope of spatial selection. In general, the core agglomeration area has limited radiation and driving effects on the peripheral areas, and there is a prominent phenomenon of imbalance in the distribution of leisure and tourism facilities following a single industrial structure. The formation of the spatial patterns of leisure and tourism is the result of a combination of dominant factors, driving factors, safeguarding factors, and other triggering factors. Urban leisure and tourism spaces are intertwined, and the spatial balance and industrial diversification of leisure and tourism can be promoted through scientific spatial planning. This study aims to provide services for urban land planning and policy-making by revealing the spatial distribution principles of leisure and tourism sites in tourist cities as represented by Xi’an.

The Current Status and Renovation of Campus Space Planning under the Epidemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on various aspects of urban areas, such as the economy, public health, and planning, especially campuses. This article analyses the spatial use problems faced by historic universities during the pandemic, including poor dormitory environments, lack of leisure spaces, low utilization of green spaces, and unreasonable cafeteria design. To address these problems, the article proposes some corresponding suggestions. For dormitory buildings, it is recommended to activate the ground floor space for medical purposes during the pandemic and develop other functions in the post-epidemic era. For leisure spaces, the article suggests designing independent characteristic spaces from five perspectives, including park areas, fitness facilities, student activity centers, coffee shops, and libraries, to meet the requirements and different needs during the pandemic. For green spaces on campuses, it is recommended to increase interactive function for students rather than leaving them unengaged oases. For cafeteria renovation, it is suggested to increase space utilization, maintain an appropriate dining distance, create independent quanrantine areas to provide separate or exclusive dining spaces and design personalized spaces to improve diners' sense of security and comfort.

Hiking the Via Alpina

Abstract Can long-distance hiking present an alternative to the mechanisation, uncertainty and alienation of contemporary European life? Through interviews with hikers on the Via Alpina in the European Alps, we explore this question, applying Ning Wang's insights on tourism as exemplifying the ambivalence of modernity. Modern technologies increase communications, mobility and efficiency, while enabling leisure space for tourism. Via Alpina hikers do not ‘opt out’ of the social frameworks governed by Logos modernity but undertake solitary walking in search of an intrapersonal existential authenticity by reconnecting with nature, the body and an alternative experience of time. The Logos-directed elements of planning and navigating through digital devices are limited to the essential required to progress on the path and enable them to inhabit smooth time, free of the restrictive syncopations of work schedules and pressing obligations. Thus, hikers harness Logos modernity to enhance the Eros space of sensuality and emotional release. Through knowledge learned along the way, hikers strive for a positive, responsible freedom that broadens their sense of being in the world.

Art Interactive Design of Public Leisure Space Environment Based on PSO Algorithm

Art Interactive Design of Public Leisure Space Environment Based on PSO Algorithm