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

Abstract

Faced with the prospect that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change will be far-reaching and long-term, the international community is showing interest in urban green space (UGS) and urban green infrastructure utilization as a solution. In this study, we investigated how citizens’ perceptions and use of UGS have changed during COVID-19. We also collected their ideas on how UGS can raise its usability. As a result, more people became to realize the importance of UGS. In particular, the urban environmental purification function from UGS was recognized as giving great benefits to respondents. On the other hand, the patterns of UGS use were mixed with decreasing UGS use to maintain social distancing or increasing UGS use to maintain health or substitute other restricted facilities. More than half of respondents had their UGS visit patterns impacted by COVID-19. In particular, the increase rate of UGS use was rather high in the group that seldom used UGS before COVID-19. In addition, they increased the use of UGS to replace other limited facilities, and thus tended to demand an increase in rest facilities. Based on these results, this paper suggested securing social support and sustainability for the policy by reflecting users’ demand in landscape planning related to the increase of UGS in the city. This study can contribute to improving the resilience of UGS and the sustainability of urban space planning.

Integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) in local policy and planning toward transformative change. Evidence from Barcelona, Lisbon, and Turin

“…The perceived increased interest in re-naturing and greening the cities by the municipalities and the general public, in particular after the pandemic, shows contrasting data from those found by Lorenzoni et al (2007). This reflects a possible shift in perspectives and a momentum for further advancing NBS integration and scholarship, in line with Li et al (2021) who found an increase in focus of NBS studies on greening interventions in urban areas, such as urban forests, and Kim et al (2023) who found increased usage of green urban spaces.…”

Exploring the impact of pandemic fear on visitation to park attractions in urban city: A case study in Seoul, South Korea

“…In this context, though people had the freedom to decide whether to go out, many refrained from doing so owing to the prevailing social atmosphere and fear of infection. However, as the pandemic progressed, spaces such as parks became more popular because of their lower risk of infection and the opportunity they provided for maintaining physical and mental health through physical activity [ 62 ].…”

Factors Influencing Sustainable and Positive Organizational Behavior: the Example of Higher Education in Kazakhstan

“…Sustainability practices, such as environmental conservation and social responsibility, were linked to positive organizational behavior and performance, aligning with SDG 12 and SDG 13. Moreover, organizations in Kazakhstan can promote resilience and sustainability in positive organizational behavior to contribute towards achieving the SDGs (Cheng et al, 2021;Kim et al, 2021).…”