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

Ming Ma, Liang Ding, Huaiyun Kou, Shaohua Tan and Hao Long
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Ming Ma: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
Liang Ding: School of Architecture and Design, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Huaiyun Kou: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Shaohua Tan: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
Hao Long: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-17

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.

Keywords: mountainous urban greenway; physical activity; environmental feature; planning and design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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