Work

Escaping to nature during a pandemic: A natural experiment in Asian cities during the COVID-19 pandemic with big social media data

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: As global communities respond to the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), urban residents worldwide have reduced their mobility, which may have incidentally kept people away from greenspaces. Surprisingly, anecdotal evidence suggests greenspace use surged in Asian cities. In this study,we used the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to investigate individuals' behavioral changes in greenspace use before and during the pandemic. We created a longitudinal panel dataset comprising Instagram posts from 100,232 users relating to 1185 greenspaces in four Asian cities: Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Seoul. We found a 5.3% increase in the odds of people using greenspaces for every 100-case increase in weekly new cases. The models also revealed that people prefer nature parks that are large and close to city centers. In summary, because of the established physical and mental health benefits of greenspaces, people have been escaping to nature to cope with the pandemic in Asian cities.

Source: The Science of The Total Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146092

Authors: Yi Lu, Jianting Zhao, Xueying Wu, Siu Ming Lo

Institutions: City University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute, University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: Urban Green Space and Health

Subfield: Urban Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: City University of Hong Kong, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee