Quality Of Parks Research Articles

Delineating the Dichotomy and Synergistic Dynamics of Environmental Determinants on Temporally Responsive Park Vitality

Promoting park vitality is fundamental for advancing both residents’ well-being and sustainable urban development. Current research often sidesteps the temporal fluctuations and combined effects of environmental factors on park vitality. Drawing on real-time user density data from Tencent, this investigation analyzed park vitality across 64 urban parks in Fuzhou, China, divided into five specific temporal periods on weekdays and weekends. Through the application of geographic detector models, this study examined the impact and interplay of both intrinsic and extrinsic environmental characteristics on park vitality over these different times. Our primary findings include: (1) environmental attributes affecting park vitality vary temporally, with aspects like commercial density, leisure facility density, and park size consistently influencing vitality; (2) on weekdays, external attributes linked to convenience are predominant, while on weekends, internal attributes connected to recreation take precedence; and (3) there is a synergetic interaction between environmental determinants, often leading to either additive or more intricate effects on park vitality. Based on these insights, we propose recommendations for spatial planning and time-based policies to enhance the alignment between urban settings and park quality. This research provides actionable strategies for enhancing park vitality, both within China and internationally.

A delicacy evaluation method for park walkability considering multidimensional quality heterogeneity

In the post-pandemic era, park walkability plays a vital role in promoting residents' physical and mental health in all aging societies. In current walkability calculation methods, the number of indicators reflecting park quality is limited, and the data resolution is too low to capture accurate park demand patterns. Moreover, the travel impedance based on the ArcGIS network cannot reveal the impedance differences between distinct road types. Therefore, a delicacy evaluation method for park walkability that considers multidimensional quality heterogeneity is required. Taking a residential compound as the unit, this study evaluated park walkability based on multi-source big data using the Huff-based Ga2SFCA (Gaussian two-step floating catchment area) model. The results suggest that, considering multidimensional quality heterogeneity, this method can accurately quantify the influence of facility improvement on park walkability, better describing the supply and demand relationship. Although the perfection of facilities can effectively improve park walkability, its influence on park distribution equity is small. To reduce the disparity in park distribution, the construction of new parks is necessary. A “pocket park” is a good option considering the limited land resource. Open campuses are good alternatives. Therefore, as an epidemic prevention policy, the “shut down policy” of campuses to the public does great harm to park walkability and the resulting equity, stopping the spillover of positive externalities of universities and colleges. This research not only improves the 2SFCA method from the indicator abundance and indicator counting approach in the supply dimension but also improves studies on park accessibility in terms of data accuracy and data resolution. This has important theoretical and practical significance for the delicacy management of urban areas.

Developing a Pocket Park Prescription Program for Human Restoration: An Approach That Encourages Both People and the Environment.

Healing through nature has long been confirmed as an efficient way to improve human physical and psychological health in contemporary urban life. This concept evolved into the well-known Park Prescription Program. However, the psychological restoration imparted by nature was not particularly emphasized in the original Park Prescription Program; it primarily addresses the regulation of physical activities. The quality of urban parks may affect how well people pursue these prescriptions, but the program rarely includes designers among its stakeholders. This study is inspired by the Park Prescription Program, and its intent is to develop a Pocket Park Prescription Program that encourages usage by active people and proper landscape design. The inclusion of designers has been found to be extremely important for pocket parks since they are limited in size but have the advantages of high flexibility and accessibility, and their restorative potential needs be maximized with the limited resources available. Ten pocket parks with distinct functional and landscape attributes were selected in Shanghai as research sites. The Restorative Component Scale was designed into a questionnaire-based survey to measure how people perceived restorative experiences in each site. The onsite survey also incorporated questions investigating people's behaviour characteristics of using these pocket parks. Site photos were taken and analysed with semantic image segmentation to indicate the landscape compositions of each site. The relations between people perceived restorativeness and parks' using patterns and landscape characteristics were then explored with correlation analysis to provide cues on instructing how people's visiting behavior and park landscape design can be improved. The results suggest there are better restoration results when people stay longer in pocket parks, and when people visit their neighborhood pocket parks two to three times a week, these benefits are further enhanced. This study also found that when these prescribed health behaviors are uncertain, the restorative experiences perceived by people can be improved with design interventions in regard to landscape elements such as vegetation, person, decorative lamps, pavement and terrain. These interventions should be made also in consideration of specific park functions. The research outcome intends to show that designers should be included as stakeholders in the Pocket Park Prescription Program, and it is expected to guide individuals towards effectively using pocket parks for restoration. This is to ensure that both the design and the people's perspectives will be strengthened through the implementation of this program.

How the diversity of constructed wetlands improves the plankton communities discharged into a protected Mediterranean wetland

The effectiveness of constructed wetlands (CWs) created to improve water quality has been demonstrated. However, their role in enhancing biodiversity, such as in plankton communities, is still understudied. To assess this, we analysed, over two years, the plankton of three structurally different CWs which are intermediaries between low-quality waters and a protected Mediterranean wetland (Albufera de València Natural Park). We estimated the alpha-diversity of each CW and the beta-diversity among their different sectors. In two CWs, the diversity decreased as water flowed from the Inlet (a species mix from anthropically disturbed environments) to the Outlet, due to natural assembly processes. In the other CW, as it received water dominated by a few species, the emerging assemblages increased the diversity. Moreover, comparing the three CWs, the most divergent communities were those in the outlets (due to the emergence of exclusive species, biovolume differences, etc.). Therefore, they contributed to beta-diversity as they acted as generators of communities, which were characterized by the loss of cyanobacteria and chlorophytes, the dominance of large copepods or cladocerans and the presence of unshared species. We emphasize the importance of having structurally and functionally different CWs to enhance biodiversity and improve biological water quality in natural parks.

Association of composite park quality with park use in four diverse cities

Park use has numerous health benefits. However, little research has investigated how the combination of park facilities, amenities, and conditions are related to park visitation. This study examined the association between a novel composite park quality metric and the use of specific parks, including variations by demographics. Data were collected in 128 census block groups across four diverse cities in the USA. Adults (n = 262) used an online, map-based survey to indicate which parks within one half-mile they had used within the past 30 days. All parks (n = 263) were audited using the Community Park Audit Tool, and a composite quality metric was calculated by standardizing and averaging six key components: access, facilities, amenities, aesthetic features, quality concerns, and neighborhood concerns. A total of 2429 participant-park pairs were analyzed. The average park quality score was 40.4/100 (s.d. = 30.2). For the full sample, a greater park quality score was significantly related to park use (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01–1.03) such that for each one unit increase in a park’s quality score, there was a 2% increase in the likelihood of the park being used. There was also a significant interaction by gender, with park quality associated with park use among females (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.02–1.05) but not males (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.99–1.02). Enhancing overall park quality may increase the likelihood of a park being used. Future research can explore the utility of this comprehensive quality metric for predicting other health behaviors and outcomes and how interventions to enhance park quality augment park use and health over time.

Social media analysis reveals environmental injustices in Philadelphia urban parks

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 11.7 calls for access to safe and inclusive green spaces for all communities. Yet, historical residential segregation in the USA has resulted in poor quality urban parks near neighborhoods with primarily disadvantaged socioeconomic status groups, and an extensive park system that addresses the needs of primarily White middle-class residents. Here we center the voices of historically marginalized urban residents by using Natural Language Processing and Geographic Information Science to analyze a large dataset (n = 143,913) of Google Map reviews from 2011 to 2022 across 285 parks in the City of Philadelphia, USA. We find that parks in neighborhoods with a high number of residents from historically disadvantaged demographic groups are likely to receive lower scores on Google Maps. Physical characteristics of these parks based on aerial and satellite images and ancillary data corroborate the public perception of park quality. Topic modeling of park reviews reveal that the diverse environmental justice needs of historically marginalized communities must be met to reduce the uneven park quality—a goal in line with achieving SDG 11 by 2030.

Young People and Nature: What Drives Underlying Behavioural Intentions towards Protected Areas Conservation?

This paper investigates university students’ motivations in nature park conservation, an area that has received limited research attention compared to other pro-environmental behaviours. By formulating a set of research hypotheses, an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour is employed to examine the determinants of university students’ intentions to engage in nature park conservation. Structural equation modelling is conducted using survey data collected from university students in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. The results show that attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and personal moral norms directly and positively influence university students’ intentions to undertake nature park preservation actions. Subjective norms indirectly influence behavioural intentions through attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and personal moral norms. Moreover, the findings reveal that university students with nature-oriented altruistic values exhibit a higher propensity for nature park conservation compared to their more egoistic peers. These findings have important implications for park management institutions, suggesting the need to increase awareness among young people about their potential role in preserving the environmental quality of nature parks. Collaboration between universities and nature park institutions is also crucial in providing young individuals with the necessary skills to participate in decision-making processes aligned with the principles of sustainable development.

Tourists' Willingness to Pay for Recreation Services in Nyerere National Park, Tanzania: Are We Overvaluing or Undervaluing Our Nature Recreation Resources?

This study estimated tourists' Willingness to Pay (WTP) per day for recreation services in Nyerere National Park (NNP) and compared these values with daily travel costs that are incurred by tourists to visit NNP in order to inform whether recreation resources in the park are overvalued or undervalued. The study revealed that tourists' WTP per day for recreation services was estimated at $237.4 and $1521 for resident and non-resident tourists, respectively. The estimated tourists' WTP values exceed the daily travel costs currently incurred by tourists, which are $201.04 and $1517.97 for resident and non-resident tourists, respectively. This indicates that tourists are willing to spend more to enjoy recreation services in NNP, which signifies that recreation resources in NNP are slightly undervalued. In addition, the findings disclosed that the largest share of tourist daily travel expenses is allocated to transportation services, and very little is paid to the park as a conservation fee. It was revealed that out of the daily travel expenses incurred by non-resident and resident tourists, only 4.62% and 2.23% are respectively paid directly to NNP as conservation fees. This study considers that allocation is not very fair; thus, NNP, in collaboration with TANAPA, needs to adjust the current entrance or conservation fee and reduce the transportation costs charged by tourist companies. The travel costs incurred by tourists, age, education, monthly income, site visited, substitute site, and quality of park were identified as significant factors in influencing tourists' WTP for recreation services in NNP. Thus, policies oriented to reduce tourists' transportation costs and improve the quality of national parks would attract more tourists to NNP.

From Proximity to Quality: The Capitalization of Public Facilities into Housing Prices

Housing prices are significantly influenced by the presence of public facilities, such as schools, parks, and transport infrastructure. Whereas existing literature has mainly focused on the proximity of public facilities, this study goes beyond proximity and introduces the concept of quality metrics to evaluate public facilities. By employing the gradient-boosting decision trees approach, we analyze the nonlinear relationships between public facilities and property values in Shenzhen, China. Our study not only quantifies the extent to which the quality of these facilities is capitalized in housing prices, but also examines the interaction effects of quality and proximity on housing prices. Our results reveal that quality variables exhibit a greater relative importance than proximity variables in determining housing prices, and this relationship follows a nonlinear pattern. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating effects of quality on the relationship between proximity and housing prices. We find that the amplifying effects of higher quality are particularly evident in metro stations and public middle schools, whereas the impact of park quality on housing prices is less pronounced. These findings highlight the need to consider both quality and proximity in the supply of public facilities, as they have synergistic effects on housing prices. The nonlinear effects observed in our study can serve as a valuable tool for identifying deficiencies in the supply of public facilities. Additionally, the distinction between proximity and quality, as well as their interaction effects, contributes to our understanding of how the value of public facilities is capitalized in housing markets.

Soundscape Optimization Strategies Based on Landscape Elements in Urban Parks: A Case Study of Greenlake Park in Kunming

The soundscape quality of urban parks can influence the mental and physical health of park visitors. This paper proposes strategies for optimizing soundscape quality by correlating the physical parameters to the human perception. The data has been gathered through a case study of Greenlake Park located in Kunming, China. The objective physical acoustic indexes and the subjective soundscape perception were analyzed using a combination of GIS spatial statistical analysis from 1224 pieces of environmental sound pressure level data and questionnaire data of human perception collected through soundwalks. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Compared with water bodies, lands perform better in absorbing and reducing the environmental sound pressure level with a decrease of 2.0 dB every 15 m in the terrestrial landscape of rich plant layers and high degree of enclosure, compared to a decrease of 1.5 dB every 15 m in the water landscape with lotus leaves, cruise ships or structures; (2) Sound pressure level and types of sound sources profoundly affect our soundscape perception. Acoustic environment evaluation, soundscape suitability, visual preferences, pleasure perception and relaxation perception are positively correlated with natural sound perception (p < 0.01), while significantly negatively correlated with sound pressure level, human activity and mechanical sound perception. In the end, the correlation between landscape elements and sound pressure level, sound sources and soundscape perception are discussed, and a soundscape optimization strategy for urban parks supported by research data is proposed.

Research on urban country parks based on emergency medical facilities for public health emergencies—a case study of Guangzhou, China

As COVID-19 has swept across the world, the escalating number of confirmed and suspected cases overwhelmed the admission capacity of the designated hospitals. Faced with such a grim situation, governments made a quick decision to build emergency medical facilities to address the outbreak. However, the emergency medical facilities faced a huge risk of epidemic spread and improper site could lead to serious secondary transmission. Using the disaster prevention and risk avoidance function of urban green space can solve the problem of selecting the location of emergency medical facilities to a certain extent, with country parks having a high degree of compatibility with the latter. Based on the location requirements of emergency medical facilities, using Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi method, through analyzing the type of country parks, effective risk avoidance area, spatial fragmentation, distance from water sources, wind direction, and distance from the city, quantification of 8 impact factors such as hydrogeology and traffic duration was conducted to comprehensively compare 30 country parks in Guangzhou. The results showed that the overall quality of country parks approximated a normal distribution, with Lianma Forest Country Park having the highest comprehensive score and the most balanced distribution of scores for various impact factors. Considering safety, expandability, rehabilitation, convenience, pollution prevention, and fecal isolation, it is a preferred destination for emergency medical facility construction.

Characteristics of urban park recreation and health during early COVID-19 by on-site survey in Beijing

The positive health effects of green space have received increasing attention, however, on-site surveys and city-level research to reveal the relationship between urban park recreation and urbanite health in metropolitan areas during a post-pandemic period are lacking. We conducted an on-site survey using a questionnaire with 225 respondents from 22 urban parks distributed across the metropolitan area of Beijing during the early COVID-19 eased period with another 1346 respondents in 2021 to make verification. We identified factors that could influence public perceptions of park quality and human health (i.e., physical, mental, and social health) and revealed gender differences in perceptions of park characteristics. The correspondence pattern of perceived urban park quality with social health is distinct from that of physical and mental health. Due to the strict social distancing policy in early COVID-19 period, urban parks in different levels of urbanization environment could exert varied health effects.

Enhancing recreational activities through planting design in neighborhood parks

Active and passive recreations in neighborhood parks offer various benefits for the life quality. Active and passive recreation preferences depend on various demographic factors, including the user's economic levels. Also, environmental factors are efficient in recreation preferences. Despite extensive studies, there is a scant body of research on the relationship between desirable recreation and vegetation design in areas with different income levels. This research is concerned with assessing the recreation preferences in the districts with various incomes. Also, it attempts to evaluate the relationship between spatial configuration designs of plants with desirable recreation patterns as its primary goal. For this purpose, we studied the spatial configuration of plants which create different visual accesses for different types of recreation. The current research method is causal-comparative, and through random sampling, 363 people visiting parks in high and low-income Districts in Tehran completed a researcher-made questionnaire. We did Data analysis using Bonferroni's post hoc test using SPSS software. Results show active recreation is desirable in the high-income district, and passive recreation in low-income ones. In addition, landscape preferences for recreation types are different in districts with varying income levels. Therefore, vegetation design can be a factor that enhances active and passive recreation in line with the user's needs. The present study aims to improve the quality of parks for recreation. In this research, socio-economic differences in the cities of developing countries have been considered and vegetation design corresponding to the recreational needs of different groups has been investigated. The results showed that open and semi-closed spaces are suitable for what kind of recreation and for high or low-income residents.

The assessment of soundscape quality in historic urban parks: A case study of El-Goli Park of Tabriz, Iran

The preservation of historic sites requires a multisensory approach, in which sound plays an important role. A good acoustic environment could contribute to the aesthetic, ecological, and cultural improvement of historic sites, as well as increase visitor attendance with their surroundings. Due to the unique spatial qualities and social-cultural distinctions of these locations, it seems essential to consider the inherent differences in their soundscapes. The hypothesis of this study is to assess the interrelationships between soundscape evaluations and environmental indicators including visual quality and overall impression as well as the related semantic attributes. The historic El-Goli Park of Tabriz, which is in a semi-natural environment, was evaluated as the field study. Field measurements at sampled locations were conducted to record sound pressure levels (SPL) to generate sound maps. At the same time, a questionnaire survey was used for the subjective assessment of soundscape quality. The main results are as follows: 1. Natural sounds (birds and water) and human sounds (voices and footsteps) are the sounds primarily perceived as dominant and pleasant. 2. For a selected location, the higher the percentage of visitors reporting a pleasant sound (mainly natural sounds), the higher the reported soundscape quality, visual quality, and overall impression. 3. Among the social/demographic/behavioral factors considered, “age” and “time period during a day of visit” were associated with soundscape perception. These results may be helpful for the soundscape of historic city parks and will offer helpful insights into landscape policy and regional acoustic environment planning.

Geospatial techniques for comparative case study of spatiotemporal changes in New Karachi and North Karachi parks

The well-known fact is that parks play a significant role in sustaining the urban environment. Megacities like Karachi are developing rapidly with a simultaneous increase in the city area, putting immense pressure on open green spaces. The widespread built-up development is replacing the previously existing vegetative cover. The lack of green spaces is the main concern, and this problem will only worsen due to overpopulation associated with the rapid growth of cities. The lack of evidence-based planning contributes to the unbalanced spatial distribution of parks in quantity and quality. The present research aimed to compare and find out the quality and status of parks such as park areas under encroachment and temporal changes in the vegetative cover of parks in the predominantly low to middle-income residential areas of New Karachi and North Karachi Towns of Karachi metropolitan. Geospatial techniques have been used for mapping, assessments, and analyses. Results indicate that boundary walls are a good solution to stop or reduce park encroachments as correlation indicates the parks with boundary walls have a significantly lower percentage of encroachment in 2022. The existing work indicated that the number of trees has increased in most parks in both towns in 2022. The overall correlation results indicate that factors affecting park quality positively have a positive association with other positively affecting factors and a negative association with factors that affect park quality negatively. There is a dire need to implement better planning strategies to enhance the quality of existing parks and construct new parks in the study area.

Research on the Factors Influencing the Perception of Urban Park Recreational Behavior Based on the “Homo Urbanicus” Theory

The improvement of the quality of urban parks plays a vital role in the construction and development of urban society. This study examined the factors influencing recreational satisfaction with urban parks, providing a reference for measures to improve the quality of urban parks. Based on the theory of “Homo Urbanicus”, we conducted a factor analysis of recreation satisfaction with urban parks and constructed a structural equation model. It can be seen from the analysis results produced by the causal model that “supporting facilities” and “functional facilities” have the highest contributions to the factor load of the model, which indicates that individual recreational satisfaction with urban parks is mainly based on the relationship between individuals and space conditions. In other words, these elements are necessary to meet the requirement of the “physical” in the “Homo Urbanicus” theory and to supplement the “physical–group–rational” method structure in the “Homo Urbanicus” theory. This conclusion indicates that the improvement of the “functional facilities” and “supporting facilities” of urban parks will play an important role in improving recreational satisfaction with urban parks. The results of this study can help researchers to build an urban park quality evaluation system from the perspective of recreation quality.

Park Recreation Intention and Satisfaction of Blue-Collar Workers Based on the ACSI Model: A Case Study of Anning Industrial Park in Yunnan

The negative effects of long working hours and shift work on the physical and mental health of blue-collar groups should not be underestimated. Under intense stress, they have limited time to access recreational green space, and their own health is thus affected. In this study, a conceptual model of recreational satisfaction among blue-collar workers was established based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The model explores the factors affecting their level of satisfaction when using recreational spaces. Anning Industrial Park in Yunnan Province was used as an example. User data were collected and analyzed using a questionnaire survey and structural equation methods. The results indicate that recreation intention, perceived park quality characteristics, and perceived value all had significant and positive effects on the park recreation satisfaction of blue-collar workers. This study applied social economics theory to the field of landscape planning, identified the typical characteristics of blue-collar workers and their green space use, and strived to optimize the UGS configuration and functional facilities through the evaluation of recreation satisfaction indexes, which provided guidance and reference for improving the service quality of green spaces.

Identifying Park Spatial Characteristics That Encourage Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity among Park Visitors

The general consensus is that physical activity can prevent and manage lifestyle-induced chronic diseases, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been included in several guidelines of WHO as an indicative intensity standard. Numerous studies have confirmed that improving the spatial quality of urban parks can be very helpful in supporting physical activities, and that the quality of parks is significantly related to the intensity of physical activities. However, few studies have explored the spatial characteristics of activating physical activities. Using a modified System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC), this study examines the relationship between spatial characteristics and MVPA through a binary logistic regression model. The results reveal that: firstly, inconsistent with other similar studies, the most observed group in the park is the adults rather than the seniors, and the proportion of the females (51%) is higher; secondly, the distribution of MVPA in different groups shows that the seniors have less interaction with other groups, and they have a significant spatial attachment. Thirdly, in functionality, large lawn and jogging trails have been proved to be the most effective features to promote the occurrence of MVPA; among the activity, except for the significant correlation between equipped and MVPA, other attributes can be proved to encourage MVPA as well as those in comfort. In conclusion, our results can contribute to the planning and design of the urban park as well as the further management and allocation of the space and facilities under the vision of promoting public health.

Policymaker and Practitioner Perceptions of Parks for Health and Wellbeing: Scoping a Holistic Approach

Urban parks provide a multitude of health benefits for citizens navigating the challenges of 21st-century living. And while this is well known by both scholars and practitioners, there is less understanding about the differential impacts of park size, type of facilities, community accessibility, and management. This is the central concern of the research reported here, which is a part of a larger project titled ‘Better Parks, Healthier for All?’ funded under the UKRI-NHMRC Built Environment and Prevention Research Scheme 2019. Within this broader context, the current paper discusses the results of a focus group to better understand how different park qualities promote physical and mental health. Using a COVID-safe research approach, we brought key park providers, park policymakers, and green and open space designers from New South Wales, Australia, together to participate in an online focus group in May 2021. The recruitment was based on the domain expertise and practitioner knowledge of the issues at hand. The ensuing discussion canvassed three areas of interest: What is park quality? How is park quality associated with health? How can we assess park quality and its ability to deliver health outcomes? A thematic analysis of the group’s deliberations reveals a very holistic appreciation of park quality. The ability of a park network to provide a range of health outcomes is central to this view, with each park playing a role in delivering different benefits across the network. Our findings indicate that there are many opportunities to enhance the myriad of benefits and multiple ways to gain them. Co-design is essential to ensure that parks best suit the local context and provide relevant benefits to all stakeholders. In this way, local communities can gain ownership and enhanced agency in relation to using and enjoying their parks. We conclude that delivering locally networked parks and associated spaces for community health and wellbeing are essential in the broader context of global environmental sustainability.

Cooling effect and cooling accessibility of urban parks during hot summers in China's largest sustainability experiment

The rapid urbanization process has given rise to urban heating problem and social stratification, prompting calls to evaluate and improve the quality and equity of parks’ cooling service. Our study quantified cooling effect of 1,337 parks from both maximum and accumulation perspectives and investigated cooling accessibility through network analysis in 26 cities of Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), China's largest sustainability experiment. 1,189 (88.93%) parks showed significant cooling effect. On average, per park cooled down 2.34 ± 0.07 °C and 40.34 ± 1.17 ha, which was more than four times park area. The accumulative cooling intensity and gradient averaged at 108.55 ± 3.15 °C • m and 0.64 ± 0.02 °C, respectively. Our study also uncovered inequity in cooling accessibility in hot summers, as about 40.3% residents could not access to parks’ cooling service within 30-min walk. Suburban residents had more difficulty accessing to parks’ cooling services. This study can guide greater planning and design of parks to move toward a more equitable and livable direction across different urbanization hierarchy cities.