Effects and Environmental Features of Mountainous Urban Greenways (MUGs) on Physical Activity

Abstract

The role played by urban greenways in supporting physical activity (PA) for public health benefits has been receiving increasing attention. Most studies on this topic have been conducted in plains, whereas studies in mountainous regions have been limited as a result of the complexity of these areas. To address this knowledge gap, this article aims to analyze the effects of the environmental features for a mountainous urban greenway (MUG) on PA, leading to better support for greenway practice in mountainous areas. A volunteered geographic information (VGI) method was applied through the mobile app KEEP to collect 1314 valid records of PA including its density (total PA distance per unit area within the buffer zone) and attributes (distance, duration and speed) in the Yuzhong Peninsula, Chongqing, China. Similar to those of the studies conducted in the plains, our results showed that PA density was affected by the MUG and its surrounding environment. The key environmental features included residential density, open-space POI, the slope, the transportation-MUG (T-MUG) ratio and the recreational-MUG (R-MUG) ratio. For the PA attributes, the MUG showed stronger effects than the surrounding environment. The key environmental features included the slope and type of MUG, of which the former was negatively associated with distance and speed. The T-MUG ratio was positively related to duration and speed, while the R-MUG ratio was positively related to duration and distance. No association was found between livelihood (L-MUG) and PA. Hence, to support both the PA density and attributes, the environmental qualities for recreation and the types of R-MUGs should be given more consideration in practice.

What causes the spatiotemporal disparities in greenway use intensity? evidence from the central urban area of Beijing, China

“…First, this study used trajectory data, which could lead to ignoring individual differences, such as the age, gender, and education level of users. Individual differences can also impact greenway use intensity (Ma et al, 2021;Rigolon and Nemeth, 2020). Second, the research data used in this study have two limitations: (1) There are restrictions on the use of the greenway purpose here.…”

“…The effect of many influencing factors on the greenway use intensity has been investigated in existing studies, such as environmental quality, accessibility (Zhang H. et al, 2019), points of interest, population density, residential density (Ma et al, 2021), and green space ratio (Liu et al, 2016). The relationship between urban size and factors influencing greenway use intensity has not been fully explored.…”

Evaluation of the Health Promotion Capabilities of Greenway Trails: A Case Study in Hangzhou, China

“…Taking into account the preferences of users at different distances, greenway planners can set up locker rooms, bag storage places, and other supporting facilities in sections close to surrounding residential areas, set up open spaces, such as paved squares or provide better pavement for physical exercise, which is also conducive to better group fitness activities, such as the group square dancing that middle-aged and elderly women in China love to do [70]. In sections away from surrounding residential areas, high-quality scenic sections can be set up for people to experience nature, such as meditation seats and nature science signs [71].…”

Crowdsourcing Public Engagement for Urban Planning in the Global South: Methods, Challenges and Suggestions for Future Research

“…Studies on urban design focus on the effects of the urban landscape and street configuration on human activities and/or behavior. For example, Mohamed & Stanek [30] examined the effects of street configuration on sexual harassment, while other researchers analyzed the impact of the urban landscape on physical activities [41,42]. Such studies can help guide future urban design so as to build safer, more equitable, and healthier urban environments.…”