Use of Urban Green Spaces in the Context of Lifestyle Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tokyo

Takahiro Yamazaki, Akiko Iida, Kimihiro Hino, Akito Murayama, U Hiroi, Toru Terada, Hideki Koizumi and Makoto Yokohari
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Takahiro Yamazaki: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Akiko Iida: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Kimihiro Hino: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Akito Murayama: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
U Hiroi: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Toru Terada: Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
Hideki Koizumi: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Makoto Yokohari: Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020 drastically changed urban lifestyles. Workers were forced to minimize commuting to their workplaces, older adults were banned from using meeting facilities, and children were prohibited from going to school. The consequent lack of exercise, accumulated stress, and reduced well-being are likely to have become problems, which may be improved by using urban green spaces (UGS). This study clarified the characteristics of users of UGS in Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on telecommuters, older adults, and families with children. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among Tokyo residents, and 3085 responses were obtained. A binomial logistic regression analysis was conducted with the use and evaluation of UGS as the objective variables. The results showed that older adults and families with children who had been using UGS before the pandemic and telecommuters who newly started using UGS during the pandemic used UGS differently. Older adults and families with children tended to use small parks and appreciated human connections. Telecommuters often used greenways, temples, and shrines, valuing stress-reducing functions. Given that a changing lifestyle brings new UGS users new preferences, urban planners should consider that UGS require change with the time.

Keywords: telecommuter; teleworker; older adults; families with children; urban parks; greenway; urban forest; temple and shrine; coronavirus; Japan; Asian megacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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