IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v12y2023i7p1438-d1197635.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Differences in Users’ Activity Characteristics and Spatial Patterns in Neighborhood Parks during the Late Afternoon and Evening Periods

Author

Listed:
  • Xinxin Wang

    (Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Post-Doctoral Research Station in Public Administration, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Wenhao Shi

    (Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

Abstract

Evidence shows that neighborhood parks play an important role in serving nearby residents, such as promoting physical activity and relieving stress, but thus far, little attention has been given to the impact of time on park use. This study explored users’ behavioral patterns at different time periods and their perception of attributes during the nighttime in three neighborhood parks in Nanjing, China. A total of 7482 park users were documented using the method of behavior mapping, and the results revealed that the spatial clusters of hotspots for the locations of the observed users differed significantly between late afternoon and evening, and the nighttime park users were more in number and were more active in physical activity. This study also found that improvements in site diversity and incorporations of night markets and shows were emphasized by park users based on their nighttime experience. The findings can be used to improve the future design and management of neighborhood parks, especially for promoting nighttime use.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinxin Wang & Wenhao Shi, 2023. "Differences in Users’ Activity Characteristics and Spatial Patterns in Neighborhood Parks during the Late Afternoon and Evening Periods," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:7:p:1438-:d:1197635
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1438/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1438/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hunter, Ruth F. & Christian, Hayley & Veitch, Jenny & Astell-Burt, Thomas & Hipp, J.Aaron & Schipperijn, Jasper, 2015. "The impact of interventions to promote physical activity in urban green space: A systematic review and recommendations for future research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 246-256.
    2. Xinxin Wang & Chengzhao Wu, 2020. "An Observational Study of Park Attributes and Physical Activity in Neighborhood Parks of Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Pengwei Wang & Lirong Han & Rong Mei, 2022. "An Impact Asymmetry Analysis of Small Urban Green Space Attributes to Enhance Visitor Satisfaction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Birch, Colin P.D. & Oom, Sander P. & Beecham, Jonathan A., 2007. "Rectangular and hexagonal grids used for observation, experiment and simulation in ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 206(3), pages 347-359.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Agnieszka Jaszczak & Ewelina Pochodyła & Katarina Kristianova & Natalia Małkowska & Jan K. Kazak, 2021. "Redefinition of Park Design Criteria as a Result of Analysis of Well-Being and Soundscape: The Case Study of the Kortowo Park (Poland)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Heather M. Hanson & Alia Bharwani & R. Stewart Longman & Marc J. Poulin, 2025. "Influences on Physical Activity Participation Among Older Adults: Perspectives of Exercise Professionals and Older Adult Exercise Participants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(3), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Liping Wang & Xiufeng Sun & Junru Yan & Meiru Xie & Hua Qin, 2025. "Quantitative Assessment of Age-Friendly Design in Mountainous Urban Community Parks Based on Nonlinear Models: An Empirical Study in Chongqing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-27, April.
    4. Julian A. Reed & Rachel M. Ballard & Michael Hill & David Berrigan, 2020. "Identification of Effective Programs to Improve Access to and Use of Trails among Youth from Under-Resourced Communities: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-33, October.
    5. Carolina Mayen Huerta & Ariane Utomo, 2022. "Barriers Affecting Women’s Access to Urban Green Spaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Nam Nguyen-Dinh & Heng Zhang, 2025. "Do Positive Environmental Changes Impact Residents’ Intention of Rural Development? Role of Leisure and Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-20, February.
    7. Sungsoo Yoon & Youngjoo Moon & Jinah Jeong & Chan-Ryul Park & Wanmo Kang, 2021. "A Network-Based Approach for Reducing Pedestrian Exposure to PM 2.5 Induced by Road Traffic in Seoul," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Christopher T. Emrich & Yao Zhou & Sanam K. Aksha & Herbert E. Longenecker, 2022. "Creating a Nationwide Composite Hazard Index Using Empirically Based Threat Assessment Approaches Applied to Open Geospatial Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-25, February.
    9. Boura, Georgia & Ferguson, Neil S., 2024. "Incorporating geographic interdependencies into the resilience assessment of multimodal public transport networks," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    10. Maria Fabrizia Clemente, 2022. "The Future Impacts of ESL Events in Euro-Mediterranean Coastal Cities: The Coast-RiskBySea Model to Assess the Potential Economic Damages in Naples, Marseille and Barcelona," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-22, August.
    11. Elliott, Lewis R. & White, Mathew P. & Taylor, Adrian H. & Herbert, Stephen, 2015. "Energy expenditure on recreational visits to different natural environments," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 53-60.
    12. Ryzhkov, Alexander & Sarzhan, Yuliya, 2020. "Market initiative and central planning: A study of the Moscow bus network," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Marchetti, Yuliya & Nguyen, Hai & Braverman, Amy & Cressie, Noel, 2018. "Spatial data compression via adaptive dispersion clustering," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 138-153.
    14. Andreia Teixeira & Ronaldo Gabriel & José Martinho & Graça Pinto & Luís Quaresma & Aurélio Faria & Irene Oliveira & Helena Moreira, 2021. "Connectedness to Nature Does Not Explain the Variation in Physical Activity and Body Composition in Adults and Older People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-20, November.
    15. Sigit D. Arifwidodo & Orana Chandrasiri & Niramon Rasri & Wipada Sirawarong & Panitat Rattanawichit & Natsiporn Sangyuan, 2022. "Association between Park Visitation and Physical Activity among Adults in Bangkok, Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-11, October.
    16. Qiyao Han & Greg Keeffe, 2019. "Mapping the Flow of Forest Migration through the City under Climate Change," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(1), pages 139-151.
    17. Lingbo Liu & Yuni Zhong & Siya Ao & Hao Wu, 2019. "Exploring the Relevance of Green Space and Epidemic Diseases Based on Panel Data in China from 2007 to 2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-21, July.
    18. İ. Esra Büyüktahtakın & Robert G. Haight, 2018. "A review of operations research models in invasive species management: state of the art, challenges, and future directions," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 271(2), pages 357-403, December.
    19. Sheona McHale & Alice Pearsons & Lis Neubeck & Coral L. Hanson, 2020. "Green Health Partnerships in Scotland; Pathways for Social Prescribing and Physical Activity Referral," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
    20. Juliana Melo & Ana Isabel Ribeiro & Susana Aznar & Andreia Pizarro & Maria Paula Santos, 2021. "Urban Green Spaces, Greenness Exposure and Species Richness in Residential Environments and Relations with Physical Activity and BMI in Portuguese Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-14, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:7:p:1438-:d:1197635. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.