How Urban Parks Offer Opportunities for Physical Activity in Dublin, Ireland

Eve Burrows, Margaret O’Mahony and Dermot Geraghty
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Eve Burrows: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Margaret O’Mahony: Trinity Centre for Transport Research, Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Dermot Geraghty: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Parks are an important part of the urban fabric of cities. They offer people the opportunity to connect with nature, engage in physical activity, find a haven away from the city noise, or spend time alone or with family and friends. This study examines the relative importance of park and park visit characteristics for 865 survey participants in Dublin, Ireland. The data is analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model which can distinguish the relative importance of attributes. The model results demonstrate an improvement over proportional by chance accuracy, indicating that the model is useful. The results suggest that when and why individuals go to the park along with the proximity of their residence to the park influence visit frequency more than their age and gender and more than their impression of the sound levels in the park. The contribution of the results, in terms of their potential usefulness to planners, suggest that the priority should be on the provision of park space close to residential areas, so that individuals can engage in activities such as walking and relaxation, and that the quality of that space, in the context of noise levels at least, is less important.

Keywords: parks; visit frequency; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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