Urban Leisure Research Articles

Riding artificial waves: the hybridisation of surfing in urban spaces

ABSTRACT Traditional outdoor lifestyle sports, once rooted exclusively in natural environments, have increasingly been practiced in safe and controlled artificial settings. This phenomenological research examines the case of Wave Park in South Korea to gain nuanced insights into surfers’ experiences and perceptions within artificial settings. We collected multiple qualitative data sources, including 12 semi-structured interviews with recreational surfers, archival materials, and field observations. Our findings revealed the complex and ambivalent nature of the artificial surfing experience, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges inherent in the urban leisure expansion. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of urban leisure experiences in lifestyle sports and offer broader implications for conceptualising leisure spaces in contemporary society. Additionally, the examination of the Korean context enriches our understanding of the cultural hybridisation and glocalisation processes in lifestyle sports.

Urban Leisure and the Rise of Commercial Entertainment in 19th-Century Vilnius: The Role of Ivan Shuman in a Modernizing City

The article explores the evolution of the entertainment scene in Vilnius during the second half of the 19th century, focusing on its marginal position outside national canons and mainstream theatre. Through the work of Ivan Antonovich Shuman, the city’s first entertainment entrepreneur, the study situates Vilnius’ post-serfdom and post-uprising entertainment culture within a broader regional context. It highlights how this emerging culture intersected with the modernization challenges of the time, particularly the demand for public urban spaces. This development reflected the rise of a new urban culture and its consumers, who crossed traditional socio-economic boundaries.

Destination online reviews: lexicons and thematic arguments on social responsibility

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine online comments on destination social responsibility (DSR). Typically, visitors do not discuss their experiences in terms explicitly related to DSR. This study analyzes the natural language that visitors use and identifies connections to the dimensions of DSR (i.e. environmental, sociocultural and economic responsibility). The research objectives are to identify the lexicons of tourists and the thematic arguments related to DSR dimensions. This study also analyzes the association between those dimensions and tourist destination types. Design/methodology/approach This study reviewed 5,113 Tripadvisor comments about the top-ranking destinations in two countries. Expert judges used text mining techniques to explore lexicons and topics. Factor correspondence analysis was used to analyze the relationship between identified DSR thematic arguments and tourist destination types (e.g. nature, urban, culture and beach destinations). Findings Drawing from social identity theory and self-extension theoretical approaches, this study reveals that tourists share opinions using a lexicon of DSR dimensions. Interestingly, the results of this study identify five sub-dimensions in online reviews related to social responsibility in tourism destinations: environmental (i.e. “natural landscapes”), sociocultural (i.e. “cultural heritage” and “urban leisure and outdoor spaces”) and economic dimensions (i.e. “tourism services” and “guided tours and experiences”). This paper also describes associations between DSR lexicons, the reviews’ main sub-dimensions and destination types. Research limitations/implications The empirical study analyzes online reviews of top-ten tourism destinations in Spain and Argentina, countries with similar cultural backgrounds. Because of the focus on well-ranked destinations, this sample may exhibit a higher proportion of positive comments. However, the methodological contribution can extend to other destinations. This research can help researchers and destination managers understand the issues on which tourists comment in the context of their destination experiences and the three dimensions of DSR. Originality/value There is a lack of studies using natural language processing techniques to analyze the intersection between UGC and DSR; social media research has neglected this topic. This study integrates the five sub-dimensions the authors identified into a three-dimensional schema and enriches the classic DSR framework.

Effect Verification in Ecological Landscape Design of Riverbank Leisure Space Based on Sketch Line Simulation Analysis

In order to improve the effectiveness of landscape design for riverbank leisure spaces, this article applies sketch line simulation technology to the design of leisure space landscapes, constructs a design model suitable for the needs of modern urban leisure space landscapes near rivers, and automatically generates high fidelity wireframes through hand drawn user interface sketches, thereby improving the efficiency of prototype design. The key to automatically generating high fidelity wireframes is to accurately detect the type and position of UI components from hand drawn UI sketches. In addition, a prototype software tool plugin was implemented to detect hand drawn UI sketches using an improved Faster R CNN and automatically convert the detection results into high fidelity wireframes. Through computer simulation research, we can see that sketch line simulation has a good effect in the landscape design of leisure spaces near riverbanks in cities.

Is my city a competitive tourism destination? An assessment from residents’ perspective

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of natural, cultural and urban resources on the city's tourism competitiveness from the residents' perspective and identifies the factors that city managers should prioritize.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used multiple methods. The partial least squares structural equation modeling tested our theoretical assumption and the importance–performance map analysis provided an extra interpretation of the results to make them tangible to city managers. Data collection was done with residents of Viseu, Portugal.FindingsThe findings indicated that tourism competitiveness from the residents' perspective depends on the leisure activities they can enjoy as much as tourists, as the limits between tourism activities and everyday life are tenuous. The quality of leisure is part of residents' well-being; however, the results suggested that tourism development fails to engage residents in the destination's leisure offer. The cultural heritage is not attractive to them because it is part of their day-by-day living area or they need to enjoy the cultural offer. To accommodate residents' demands, destination managers need to improve the offer of outdoor activities and urban leisure opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations were the sample size and the data collection after a pandemic context, that is, in a period of economic crisis that reduced leisure consumption. The implications point out variables to managers prioritize to improve place management and rethink tourism competitiveness based on a citizen-centered view. It is also a way to understand residents as staycationers.Practical implicationsOur research contributed to urban and city research literature with meaningful findings that can help city managers improve the positive impacts of tourism on residents and enhance the integration of tourism and urban daily life.Social implicationsThe authors suggested strategies for integrating residents into cultural activities.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study is set up in the frontier of rethinking and promoting society-centric tourism development. The research contributed to urban and city research literature with meaningful findings that can help city managers improve the positive impacts of tourism on residents and enhance the integration of tourism and urban daily life. In this direction, the authors suggest strategies for integrating residents into cultural activities.

Leisure Culture of Urban Residents in Khakassia in the 1930s.

The main types of leisure activities in the region are considered. Leisure culture was based on upbringing a “new Soviet man” and was aimed at acquainting residents with cultural events. The organization of leisure time, based on the ideas of socialism, has affected all segments of the population without age restrictions. The reconstruction of leisure culture in the era of industrialization is an urgent research for further study of the history of Soviet culture and its consequences in the post-Soviet period. The purpose of the article is to consider the process of introducing the Soviet model of leisure culture among the citizens of Khakassia in the 1930s. The principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency, as well as historical-systemic and retrospective methods were used in the work. The primary objectives of successful industrialization were to increase the educational and professional level of the local population. In non-production activities, great importance was attached to political education and indoctrination of citizens. Local authorities have managed to make some progress in organizing and conducting events aimed at the cultural, intellectual and physical development of urban residents. With regard to the younger generation, emphasis was placed on education based on the collectivist principles. Education and physical development became one of the priority forms of youth leisure. For the first time in the region, local authorities began to organize measures to improve the population’s health. Along with the obvious successes, shortcomings in the urban leisure culture were identified. The main difficulties in organizing and conducting cultural events were insufficient funding and lack of material resources. The poor condition of leisure facilities and the quality of their work prevented the successful improvement of urban residents’ cultural level. Initially, cultural events, organized by local authorities took into account the national specifics of the region, but gradually, facing current requirements, collectivist principles and ideas of upbringing a “new Soviet man” began to dominate in urban residents’ leisure culture. Learning from past experience is necessary for the successful implementation of modern state policy in the field of culture.

Urban Population of Nizhny Novgorod in First Half of 1920s: Leisure Practices

This study examines the leisure activities of Nizhny Novgorod residents during the NEP era. Various forms of urban leisure and their connections to state ideology are characterized. A total of 31 sources were analyzed, including legislative sources, statistics, and periodicals. Sources included articles from criminal and administrative codes, statistical data, and Nizhny Novgorod press. An overview of Nizhny Novgorod periodicals from 1921-1924 is provided. Results of a comparative analysis of legislative materials, statistical data, and periodicals are presented. Emphasis is placed on the ways and methods of shaping urban culture in line with state ideology. The issue of deviant behavior among city dwellers and its causes is raised. It is highlighted that new holidays aimed to replace religious celebrations. The study shows that the values of the urban community were influenced by ideological beliefs and spread through new leisure forms. It is proven that the structure of urban festivities contributed to the establishment of new societal values. The authors conclude on the significance of organized leisure in creating a socio-cultural urban environment. The role of periodicals in popularizing urban leisure forms is demonstrated. The relevance of the study lies in exploring the connection between ideology and the organization of urban leisure.

«Парадная» сторона общественной жизни купечества Вологодской губернии во второй половине XIX века

Despite the fact that the history of the Russian merchants has been of great interest to researchers for more than two decades, there are still little studied aspects in this area, including the «ceremonial» side of the public life of representatives of the merchant class. This area of research activity seems very promising, as it can significantly complement the sociocultural portrait of the merchant class. The purpose of this paper is to recreate the picture of the participation of the merchants of the Vologda province in festive and solemn events as an important part of public life in the second half of the XIX century. Based on the «Vologda Provincial Gazette» for 1861-1899, using the methods of formalizing and systematizing historical data, such components of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the local merchants as the celebration of important dates related to the Romanov House; accompanying members of the imperial family who visited the province; participation in official events organized by the Governor; Clubs membership were identified. The published materials indicate that the merchants took an active part in local celebrations dedicated to the events from the life of merchants, as well as provided significant financial support to the related various charitable initiatives. The most important events of the provincial authorities could not do without representatives of the merchant class. Besides, in the second half of the XIX century, the general urban leisure space for a wide range of people, including merchants, began to take shape. These aspects nevertheless allow us to outline the main facets of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century and set directions for further research.

РЕКРЕАЦИОННЫЕ ПРОСТРАНСТВА ГОРОДА, ИХ ПРОБЛЕМЫ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ Г. БЕЛГОРОДА)

The article is devoted to the problem of the state of public recreational spaces in modern cities, including Belgorod. The relevance of this problem is conditioned by the fact that such structures are not only an integral part of the cultural life of citizens, they constitute the ecological framework of any city, which makes life in it comfortable and gives an impetus to its active development. Thus, the reconstruction of park areas and their integration into park urban complexes will allow to use the territory more effectively, to adjust it to the ever-changing demands of society. The authors of the article considered the main features of the territories of different types of landscaping and different purposes of public urban leisure, analyzed the zones of several parks of Belgorod on the subject of landscaping and functional filling. Such an analysis of the urban planning situation will allow to better see the relationship of public recreational spaces in the city, to identify positive and negative qualities, to better understand the directions of their development. As a result of the study, an assessment of the current state of public recreational structures in the city is formulated, and proposals to improve their condition are put forward with some recommendations. Modernization of parks and other recreational spaces with saturation of them with new functional zones will be one of the factors of sustainable development of the city

The Construction of Place Meaning of Historic Parks – A Case Study of People’s Park in Guangzhou, China

Historical parks carry the memories and emotions of local people, and have a historical status and research value that cannot be ignored. This paper introduces the concept of place significance, and based on systematically sorting out related literature, selects Guangzhou People’s Park as the case study, and empirically explores the construction of place significance of it by using the Q method. It is found that the value perception of the place meaning of the People’s Park includes five dimensions: historical display, cultural identity, landscape recreation, physical and mental health, and leisure experience. The study on the perceived value of users of historical parks can provide a reference and some suggestions for historical parks to highlight the city’s image and historical culture as well as to meet the needs of urban leisure life in the context of urban construction.

Study on the impact of smart city construction on the health of the elderly population--A quasi-natural experiment in China.

In the context of global aging, promoting the health of the elderly has become a critical issue. However, whether the development of smart cities can impact the health of older adults remains to be further validated. In this paper, based on panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a difference in difference model is used to empirically investigate whether smart city construction improves the health of older people in the region. The results show that smart city construction enhances the health of the elderly. Specifically, the construction achieved a significant improvement in the physical health of the elderly who did not live with their children. The health promotion effect of the smart city was more significant for the urban elderly than for the rural elderly. The elucidated mechanisms of influence suggest that smart cities bring about their effects through the promotion of urban leisure infrastructure, enhancement of medical service provision, advancement in urban environmental protection and stimulation of urban information and communication technology infrastructure development.

«Дайте рабочему отдохнуть в кино»: понимание до- суга в 1920-е годы

The paper examines the emergence of discussions about urban leisure culture in the USSR and its purpose in the context of a new ideology in the first post-revolutionary decade. Particular emphasis is placed on the evolution of the very ideas about the concepts of rest, leisure and entertainment, and the use of free time in the context of ideas about control over working time and experiments with the calendar. What is a worker’s leisure time and why is rest needed? The free time of the so-called new Soviet man was understood through the dichotomy of leisure time and work time. Criteria for “correct”, socially approved leisure appeared, such as: usefulness, collectivity, classism, rationality, and organization. In accordance with them, cinema in the system of cultural hierarchy of the 1920s is defined in the paper as a popular place for urban entertainment and as the most important ideological tool. If we consider going to the cinema as a social phenomenon, then in the early Soviet discourse, cinema is a “wrong” leisure activity. The gradual study of the value of cinema for viewers through questionnaires, various levels of discussions about the “new Soviet spectator”, the nature of competition between workers’ clubs and cinemas, and the acceptance of the need for “unprincipled” leisure led to a softening of the assessment of cinema as a form of leisure.

A Study on Strategies for Improving Participation in Urban Recreational Sports Activities Based on Multidimensional Data Analysis

Abstract Leisure sports, which aim to improve people’s health and quality of life, have vigorously developed with the continuous enrichment of social material wealth and the enhancement of people’s spiritual life needs. This paper uses multidimensional data analysis to measure the spatial vitality of urban residents’ leisure sports activities. We use distance decay and circle of life behavior theory to explain the behavioral basis of residents’ willingness to participate in leisure sports activities. We introduce a geographically weighted regression model, a geographic detector, a kernel density analysis method, and an accessibility index to study the specific characteristics of residents’ leisure sports activities, including spatial and temporal characteristics, leisure activity distribution, agglomeration characteristics, and preference selection. The research reveals distinct features in the spatial vitality of leisure and sports in Nanjing; the central urban area serves as the hotspot for activity intensity, and a discrepancy exists between the availability of sports and leisure resources and the overall spatial vitality. The average score for the spatial coordination of sports activities is 0.4928, with most communities falling below the medium threshold. The average reachable distance of residents’ sports activity space is 1732 m, significantly higher than the standard range of living circles (500~1500 m). Therefore, this paper proposes strategies for improving participation in urban leisure sports activities from five aspects: developing diversified activity contents, stimulating residents’ enthusiasm for leisure sports, media publicity and guidance, creating a good leisure sports consumption environment, and improving residents’ leisure sports space accessibility.

Sustainable Urban Planning and Genius Loci: A LDA-Based Analysis of Recreational Landscape Imagery in Hangzhou’s Qiaoxi Historic District

Amidst the impacts of urbanization and commercialization, the cultural and historical essence of neighborhoods is undermined, paralleled by the diminishing Genius Loci. This research explores the previously under-researched area of how urban leisure districts’ spatial design influences tourists’ experiential imagery perceptions and the Genius Loci, aiming to elucidate their dialectical relationship. Leveraging LDA topic modeling and TF-IDF text analysis, we distill behavioral and cognitive imageries from tourist reviews to forge a perception framework of the Genius Loci, bifurcated into spiritual and directional imagery dimensions. Secondary dimensions emerge through TF-IDF keyword extraction. GIS technology further analyzes the spatial distribution of emotional imageries and the spatiotemporal dynamics of emotions, highlighting its significance in sustainable urban development. The findings reveal the multidimensional experiential imageries of tourists in leisure neighborhoods and their impact and feedback on the Genius Loci, offering a new perspective on the interaction between tourists’ emotional spatial experiences and the Genius Loci. It is discovered that tourist perceptions mainly concentrate on “environmental psychological perception dimension” and “spatial orientation perception dimension” with the spatial distribution of tourists’ emotional experiences showing significant temporal dynamics. These results underline a complex interaction between tourists’ experiential imagery and the Genius Loci, suggesting that tourists’ feedback could play a critical role in shaping the evolution of these cultural spaces, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches in urban planning and heritage conservation.

The Impact of Theme Park Experience on Satisfaction and Loyalty

Theme parks have become more successful in recent years. Furthermore, theme parks have grown in popularity as urban leisure destinations and tourist attractions that offer visitors a variety of experiences. Understanding visitors' interactions in the theme park is important because customer satisfaction and loyalty are heavily influenced by their experiences. The study's goal was to determine the impact of theme park experience on satisfaction and loyalty. Specific objectives were to describe the respondents’ demographic profile, determine the respondents’ perceptions toward their theme park visit in terms of theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty, establish a significant difference between the respondents’ profile and their perception towards theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty, and establish a significant relationship between the respondents’ perception towards their theme park experience and their theme park satisfaction and theme park loyalty. This study adopted the descriptive-correlational method.The survey was completed by 389 visitors who had visited the three major theme parks in the Philippines during the past few years. The research used a combination of convenience and snowball sampling in order to reach all respondents during the pandemic. The statistical tools used were frequency counts, percentages, mean, chi-square, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. It can be gleaned from the study that theme park visitors' satisfaction is based on their happiness with all their experiences in the theme park. The key findings demonstrated that theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty are significantly and positively related to respondents’ assessments when visiting theme parks. The results suggest that theme park operators and management should focus on maintaining a good physical setting that will entertain and satisfy theme park visitors.

What Drives the Spatial Heterogeneity of Urban Leisure Activity Participation? A Multisource Big Data-Based Metrics in Nanjing, China

With the rapid pace of urbanization, enhancing the quality of life has become an urgent demand for the general public in both developed and developing countries. This study addresses the pressing need to understand the spatial distribution and underlying mechanisms of urban leisure activity participation. To achieve this, we propose a novel methodological framework that integrates diverse big data sources, including mobile phone signaling data, urban geospatial data, and web-crawled data. By applying this framework to the urban area of Nanjing, our study reveals both the temporal and spatial patterns of urban leisure activity participation in the city. Notably, leisure activity participation is significantly higher on weekends, with distinctive daily peaks. Moreover, we identify spatial heterogeneity in leisure activity participation across the study area. Leveraging the OLS regression model, we design and quantify a comprehensive set of 12 internal and external indicators to explore the formation mechanisms of leisure participation for different leisure activity types. Our findings offer valuable guidance for urban planners and policymakers to optimize the allocation of resources, enhance urban street environments, and develop leisure resources in a rational and inclusive manner. Ultimately, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to improve the quality of urban life and foster vibrant and sustainable cities.

Informal natural greenspaces as places for urban leisure: Perspectives, uses and values from Quebec, Canada

Human connection to nature in cities is attracting more attention as the physical, mental and environmental benefits of urban greenspace are revealed. While formal greenspace has received the bulk of attention, the use and benefits of informal urban greenspace (IGS) are either rarely presented or relate to ‘vacant’ land. Here, we study the uses and perspectives of Natural Informal Recreation Areas (NIRA), a type of IGS that have an inherent natural component. Results from 470 survey respondents in Trois-Rivières, Canada reveal a wide range of leisure activities conducted in these greenspaces, including physical recreation, observation of flora/fauna, games, meditation, education, and socialisation. NIRA are valued for their naturalness, tranquillity, proximity, and beauty, but users readily identified dozens of reasons that attracted them to these greenspaces. Importantly, NIRA support multiple uses without intensive management. The high frequency of use and level of value placed on NIRA identifies their importance as places for citizens to connect with nature in the urban matrix. Our approach of combining qualitative and quantitative data revealed opinions and trends that either approach may not have achieved. In particular, the strong interrelationship of greenspace proximity, frequency of use and perceived value strengthens the importance of NIRA in a planning context. One of the main contributions of this study is that NIRA are identified as a subset of IGS that offers unique benefits in the urban landscape. We advocate that in this context, NIRA be granted more importance in urban planning, policy and decision-making.

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.

Retracted: Research on the Construction of Urban Leisure Physical Culture Healthy Big Data Service Platform Based on In-Depth Learning

Retracted: Research on the Construction of Urban Leisure Physical Culture Healthy Big Data Service Platform Based on In-Depth Learning

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.