Using Social Media Text Data to Analyze the Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Daily Urban Green Space Usage—A Case Study of Xiamen, China

Abstract

While urban green spaces (UGSs) are important places for residents’ leisure activities, studies describing the long-term daily UGS usage of residents (including the total number of activities, the types of activities, and the touring experience) have not been conducted due to difficulties in data collection. Based on social media text data (SMTD), in this study, the total number of daily activities, the intensities of optional and social activities, and the daily touring experience in 100 UGSs in Xiamen, China, were inferred based on the ERNIE 3.0 text pre-training semantic classification model. Based on this, linear regression modeling was applied to analyze the internal environmental factors of the effects of places and external urban form factors regarding daily UGS usage. The research results revealed the following. (1) A descriptive study was conducted on the total numbers, types, and touring experience of activities using SMTD, and the results were verified by line transect surveys, management statistics, and a publicly available dataset. (2) The number of human activities in UGSs was found to be significantly influenced by historical and cultural facilities, nighttime lighting, population density, and the proportion of the floating population. (3) During the daytime, optional activities were found to be significantly influenced by the park type and historical and cultural facilities, and social activities were found to be significantly influenced by historical and cultural facilities and population density. In the evening, optional activities were found to be significantly influenced by the park type, historical and cultural facilities, nighttime lighting, and the proportion of the floating population, and social activities were found to be influenced by the proportion of the floating population. (4) Regarding the touring experience, in the daytime, the park type, green space ratio, and proportion of the floating population had significant effects on the touring experience. In the evening, the park type, historical and cultural facilities, and security factors were found to have significant effects on the touring experience. The methodology and findings of this study aid in the understanding of the differences in daytime and nighttime activities, and in the discovery of planning tools to promote human leisure activities in UGSs.

Strategic Planning of Urban Green Space at Large Spatiotemporal Scales

“…Focusing on users' perceptions and actual needs is also an important dimension for enhancing the efficiency of urban green space services. Fan et al [13] analyzed the characteristics and influencing factors of daily urban green space use through social media text data, including daily activities, the intensity of optional and social activities, and the daily touring experience, revealing the factors influencing daytime and nighttime use of urban green spaces, and providing important insights for promoting human leisure activities. Field surveys are vital for understanding residents' perceptions of urban green spaces.…”