The influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the demand for different shades of green

Abstract

1. COVID-19 has heightened the dependence of urban dwellers on cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces (UGS), specifically in regard to the provision of recreational opportunities, and psychological and physical health benefits arising from their use.2. As different types and levels of cultural ecosystem services are provided by different types of UGS, people may seek out different UGS to satisfy personal needs over various phases of COVID-19 mobility restrictions imposed by cities.We report on a study that took advantage of the different phases of COVID-19 mobility restrictions to assess the demand for and perception of different types of UGS in Singapore.3. The study utilised four datasets to compare demand for and visitorship patterns of UGS before the pandemic (Pre-Circuit Breaker), the duration of the strictest mobility restrictions (Circuit Breaker), and after the measures were relaxed (Post-Circuit Breaker). We used Google Search trends as a proxy for UGS demand, Google mobility data for an overview of population visitorship trends, visitor counts for granular insights on actual visitorship trends, and qualitative data on perception of parks by park visitors after restrictions eased. Parks were categorised as manicured and less manicured UGS for analysis. Search interest for UGS overall fell by more than 50% from during CircuitBreaker but the post-Circuit Breaker levels exceeded pre-Circuit Breaker, with a 70.9% increase for less manicured UGS compared to 20.8% for manicured UGS. This corroborated with Google mobility and visitor counts, which showed a steep decrease in park use followed by a rapid increase in the same periods, and with increased visitorship in the less manicured UGS. The perception study also showed that more than 50% of respondents reported visiting parks that they have never visited before, and there was a greater appreciation and use of UGS after the pandemic and preference for less manicured and more naturalistic landscapes.

Challenges to understanding and managing cultural ecosystem services in the global South

“…Interactions with nature were a particularly important coping mechanism for many during this crisis, whether it was through walks in green spaces or provisioning of culturally important foods and medicines. However, once again, the focus of much of the research on COVID effects on CES have taken place mostly in the global North and wealthier countries (Grima et al 2020, Ugolini et al 2020, Yap et al 2022. Therefore, our call for increased attention to CES in the global South and across diverse ecosystems and communities remains important, and we hope that other researchers will take up this charge and expand the CES literature in new and diverse ways, contributing both to improved ecosystem management, as cultural practices are recognized for their value, and expanded appreciation of the multidimensional benefits provided to humans from CES.…”

Has the Pandemic Altered Public Perception of How Local Green Spaces Affect Quality of Life in the United Kingdom?

“…This is reinforced by another study carried out by Scotland's Nature Agency [18], which found that almost three-quarters (70%) of people felt that spending time outdoors within nature in 2020 helped them to de-stress, relax and unwind and 56% agreed that it improved their physical health [18]. During the peak of the pandemic, prolonged home confinement because of travel restrictions was a source of motivation that influenced city dwellers' behaviour and preference for parks and open spaces [19]. Several studies also reported a general increase in green space use during the pandemic [20][21][22][23].…”

Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Perception and Use of Urban Green Spaces in Korea

“…Socially, problems such as economic depression and unemployment also occurred [ 68 , 69 ]. In particular, the COVID-19 has been dealt with particularly seriously in cities where the potential for exposure to the virus is high due to high population density [ 34 , 70 ]. As people’s gathering and movement were restricted, the stress and mental health problems of city residents were exacerbated.…”

“…As COVID-19 had unprecedented impacts on the global society, research regarding the importance of UGS during a pandemic has been actively conducted [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Nevertheless, survey-based research among urban residents is rarely utilized [ 37 ].…”