Disparities in Urban Park Visitation Patterns among Socioeconomically Vulnerable Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Urban parks played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic among urban dwellers. Numerous studies have shown that park visitations increased or decreased during the pandemic depending on the parks’ contexts, locations, and populations. However, a lack of research has been conducted regarding the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable and non-vulnerable communities. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the differences between socioeconomic levels in responses to COVID-19′s impact on urban park visits. To observe park users’ movements in real-world scenarios, mobile signaling data were used to capture their movements. Then, using Repeated Measures ANOVA (RM ANOVA), the effectiveness of park visit patterns was statistically verified by considering two variables: “time” and “vulnerability”. The results showed that park visits increased during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of the vulnerability. As COVID-19 spread, underserved communities experienced decreased park visits, demonstrating park inequality after the pandemic. The comparisons in this study provide recommendations for park managers and policymakers in terms of reducing park inequality.