Escaping to nature during a pandemic : A natural experiment in Asian cities during the COVID-19 pandemic with big social media data
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62) › 21_Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Author(s)
Related Research Unit(s)
Detail(s)
Original language | English |
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Article number | 146092 |
Journal / Publication | Science of the Total Environment |
Volume | 777 |
Online published | 27 Feb 2021 |
Publication status | Published - 10 Jul 2021 |
Link(s)
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.
Research Area(s)
- Coronavirus, COVID-19, Parks, Social media, Urban big data, Urban greenspace
Citation Format(s)
Escaping to nature during a pandemic : A natural experiment in Asian cities during the COVID-19 pandemic with big social media data. / Lu, Yi; Zhao, Jianting; Wu, Xueying et al.
In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 777, 146092, 10.07.2021.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62) › 21_Publication in refereed journal › peer-review