Urban nature in a time of crisis: recreational use of green space increases during the COVID-19 outbreak in Oslo, Norway

Abstract

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it significant changes to human mobility patterns and working environments. We aimed to explore how social distancing measures affected recreational use of urban green space during the partial lockdown in Oslo, Norway. Mobile tracking data from thousands of recreationists were used to analyze high resolution spatio-temporal changes in activity. We estimated that outdoor recreational activity increased by 291% during lockdown relative to a 3 yr average for the same days. This increase was significantly greater than expected after adjusting for the prevailing weather and time of year and equates to approx. 86 000 extra activities per day over the municipality (population of 690 000). Both pedestrians (walking, running, hiking) and cyclists appeared to intensify activity on trails with higher greenviews and tree canopy cover, but with differences in response modulated by trail accessibility and social distancing preferences. The magnitude of increase was positively associated with trail remoteness, suggesting that green spaces facilitated social distancing and indirectly mitigated the spread of COVID-19. Finally, pedestrian activity increased in city parks, peri-urban forest, as well as protected areas, highlighting the importance of access to green open spaces that are interwoven within the built-up matrix. These findings shed new light on the value of urban nature as resilience infrastructure during a time of crisis. The current pandemic also reveals some important dilemmas we might face regarding green justice on the path towards urban planning for future sustainable cities.

Relationships between Local Green Space and Human Mobility Patterns during COVID-19 for Maryland and California, USA

“…Our study does not provide data for an association between mobility and COVID-19 transmission. Nonetheless, the potential impact of green space on mobility during a pandemic shown in our study and other recent literature [7,31,32] implies the need for future design and planning for green space and open spaces where disease control measures such as physical distancing can be performed during an outbreak [31,44,45]. Our results suggest that different plans for sheltering in place in relation to local built environment at regional levels are required.…”

“…Given the restrictions on the gathering of people particularly in indoor settings during COVID-19, understanding the use of green space contributes to our understanding of how green space relates to the ability of communities to cope with the stress from quarantine and pandemic, such as by playing a role as an alternative place for physical activity. A recent study in Oslo, Norway found that outdoor physical activity levels increased after the lockdown was implemented, and that the increases were highest in trails with greener and more remote areas [31]. A study conducted in the US found that the reduction in mobility to parks impacted by state-of-emergency declarations was smaller than the mobility reduction for other venues across the states [32].…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Management of European Protected Areas and Policy Implications

“…PAs benefit physical and mental health [45][46][47] by providing people with the opportunity to come closer to nature [48][49][50][51]. In addition, a significant increase in users of outdoor spaces [52] has also been documented during the pandemic that appears to be motivated by people trying to find relatively remote places where they felt safe from the virus.…”

COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Tale of Two Global Problems

“…A second lesson that can be drawn from another observation seems to be that a sudden and sharp change in behavior (and mindset) is possible, driven by new social norms like wearing a mask or keeping social distance. The COVID-19 pandemic may have long lasting consequences in the way we work, where we live, and how we spend our leisure time [36,37].…”