Changes in visits to green spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Focusing on the proportion of repeat visitors and the distances between green spaces and visitors’ places of residences

Through a quantitative approach, this study aimed to clarify the changes in the number of visitors and visits to green spaces according to green space type before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the changes in the proportion of repeat visitors and the distance between green spaces and visitors’ places of residence. We used KDDI Location Analyzer, which performs novel analysis using mobile phone GPS and census data. The study area included 10 target sites (urban parks and nature trails in the backcountry) located in the Sapporo metropolitan area in Japan. The survey period included snow-free seasons from 2019 to 2021, and 2019 was considered the period “before the pandemic.” The results revealed that the number of visits during the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, except for those of urban parks near the city center. In 2020, the proportion of repeat visitors increased for all 10 target sites. In addition, since the outbreak of the pandemic, distances between all urban parks and visitors’ residences decreased. The same trend was observed for nature trails in the backcountry close to the city center. These findings indicate a generally decreasing trend in the number of visits to green spaces as many people have been refraining from visiting the site since the outbreak of the pandemic. Contrastingly, the number of visits by repeat visitors who reside close to the target sites has increased in some cases, which compensated for the general decreases.     

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact urban green spaces? A multi-scale assessment of Jeddah megacity (Saudi Arabia)

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a global public health threat. In this crisis period, urban parks provided multiple ecosystem services and direct/indirect benefits to mental and physical health. However, the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of urban park visitors remained unexplored in Saudi cities. This study aimed to find out the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of people regarding urban parks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the findings were compared with non-pandemic periods. Two urban parks (Al Masarah Garden and Al Jamaa Garden) in Jeddah megacity (Saudi Arabia) were assessed, and 215 respondents were surveyed to fulfil the objectives of the study. The study applied a questionnaire survey and field observations to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use patterns, attitudes, and perceptions of urban park visitors. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests) were performed to find out the impact of sociodemographic factors (such as age, gender, and education). From the results, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the use, attitudes, and perceptions of urban parks in comparison with non-pandemic periods. The number of park visitors decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but urban parks were crucial to people’s mental and physical well-being. The findings of this study may help to understand the importance of urban parks as green spaces and to implement measures to enhance the quality and quantity of urban green spaces in Saudi cities.     

Urban park use and self-reported physical,mental, and social health during the COVID-19 pandemic: An on-site survey in Beijing,China

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for people’s health. Studies have demonstrated the positive impact of urban green spaces, particularly urban parks, on physical and mental health. However, few studies have evaluated social health, which is a component of human health, and more understanding of the relationship between urban parks and human health during the COVID-19 pandemic is required. This study examined the effects of urban parks on people’s health using a canonical correlation model. Physical, mental, and social health were the dependent health variables, and five factors related to urban parks were the independent variables. This study investigated 22 urban parks inside the Forth Ring Road in Beijing, China using a questionnaire survey. The results demonstrated a positive association between urban parks and human health during the pandemic. Distance to the parks, park area, and park size were positively correlated with physical, mental, and social health. Furthermore, frequency and duration of visits to urban parks were positively associated with mental health and contact with neighbors. The health effects of urban park use varied with park types and locations’ urbanization background. These findings can provide insights for health-oriented urban park planning and construction.     

Green infrastructure inequality in the context of COVID-19: Taking parks and trails as examples

Urban green infrastructures play a critical role in enhancing the well-being of residents, yet their equitable access remains a concern, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a lack of knowledge on how people respond to the pandemic regarding the usage of green infrastructure in cities. This paper explores the shifts in visitation to parks and trails, two popular types of green infrastructures in Salt Lake County, Utah, by analyzing the results of a survey conducted during the pandemic. Our conceptualization considers personal and neighborhood level factors, including personal socioeconomic status, existing inequalities of green infrastructures, urban form, and neighborhood conditions. People who reside close to the city center tend to go to parks more often, while those living in urban edges use trails more. Visiting green infrastructures less often is more likely in areas with higher COVID-19 infection rates. The regression results confirm the importance of neighborhood level factors and illustrate the intricate elements influencing people's decisions to visit different green infrastructures during the pandemic, which shows non-linear relationships. Wealthier, white, and younger people seem to enjoy green infrastructures more often, leading to the concern of amplified inequality. Higher COVID-19 cases result in higher demands for green infrastructures, which are not fulfilled during the pandemic, especially for vulnerable communities, leading to spatial exclusion. The findings highlight the importance of smart growth, including compact development, public transit, and pocket parks, in promoting the urban resilience of park and trail visits, as they may provide more opportunities for access and alternatives to green infrastructures even in the context of the pandemic.     

Exploring the use and perceptions of inner-city small urban parks: A case study of Budapest,Hungary

Globally, accelerating urbanization has led to a severe shortage of urban green spaces. This scarcity is particularly acute in inner cities with high population densities and ratios of built-up areas. To explore park visitors’ usage and perceptions, we present the results of a survey of 681 individuals from different socioeconomic groups conducted in four small urban parks in Budapest, Hungary’s capital. The survey results found that people living near the block parks were their primary users, but many people from distant areas also visited the parks due to their good accessibility. In addition, findings show that the green components of the parks were generally more satisfactory to users than other amenities, indicating higher quality expectations for cultural ecosystem services in small urban green spaces. However, perceptions of park safety varied across socioeconomic groups, suggesting that views of safety did not necessarily reflect actual park security. Finally, while most respondents stated they would not want to contribute to park maintenance, young people, particularly neighborhood newcomers, showed greater willingness to volunteer for such work.     

Citizens’ use of public urban green spaces at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Since early 2020, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly, quickly becoming a global pandemic. To counter the COVID-19 outbreak, national governments have issued different measures and restrictions, forcing citizens to adapt to a whole new lifestyle. These restrictions have impacted on the use of green spaces by citizens owing to many factors: more available free time, increased flexibility in the work environment, and a need to relax in Nature to relieve anxiety and stress. Urban green spaces provide many benefits for the physical and psychological well-being of citizens (e.g., habitat conservation, pollution control, recreational and leisure opportunities). To understand if citizens’ habits have changed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, this study provides insights from a web-based survey monitoring the use of such spaces before and during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy. A web-based questionnaire was conducted via “Facebook Messenger” and “WhatsApp” at the end of the second wave of COVID-19 (May–June 2021). Data collection having been concluded, 1075 completed questionnaires were collected and processed. The results show that while many reduced their weekly frequentation of green areas (−16.5%), the number of people frequenting green areas near their home every day increased (+7.7%). Two main groups of people were identified: the first, those who intensified their visits to green areas being those who desired to spend time in contact with Nature; the second, those who were reluctant to visit green areas for fear of being infected. The results also show most of the respondents felt urban green areas were either very important (82.1%) or important (14.4%). Overall, the results reveal that COVID-19 induced a positive perception of the benefits provided by urban green areas, with a consequent greater use of them, which seems destined to last even once the public health emergency has passed.     

Using social media data to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban green space use

Having access to and visiting urban green space (UGS) improves liveability and provides considerable benefits to residents. However, traditional methods of investigating UGS visitation, such as questionnaires and social surveys, are usually time- and resource-intensive, and frequently provide less transferable, site-specific outcomes. This study uses social media data (Twitter) to examine spatio-temporal changes in UGS use in London associated with COVID-19 related lockdowns. It compares georeferenced Tweets posted in a 3 month period from 23 March to 23 June for 3 years covering the first lockdown in the UK in 2020, with Tweets for the same period in 2019 and 2021. The results show that (1) the land-use type of Public Park and Garden was the most frequently visited type of UGS, which may be correlated with these UGS areas remaining opening during the lockdown period; (2) the usage of UGS decreased in central London and increased in other areas during lockdown, which may correlated with working from home restrictions; (3) activities were positively associated with Physical activities maybe as a result of allowing people to take a single daily exercise, and (4) people spent more time in UGS areas on weekdays than weekends compared to pre-lockdown. This is the first study to examine social media data over consistent time period before, during and after the lockdown in relation to UGS. The results show that the findings and method can inform policy makers in their management and planning of UGS, especially in a period of social crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Protest response and contingent valuation of an urban forest park in Fuzhou City,China

Urban forest parks, such as Fuzhou National Forest Park (FNFP), provide residents with landscape amenities, recreational opportunities, and interaction with nature. Understanding the recreational quality of green spaces and visitors’ behaviors and preferences is essential for effective forest park conservation strategy. We aimed to assess the recreational use and amenities of FNFP and calculate the monetary value of provided services using a contingent valuation method (CVM). A total of 249 park visitors were interviewed face-to-face based on a questionnaire using entrance fee as the payment vehicle, in October 2015 and January 2016. A considerable number of protest responses may cause selectivity bias; consequently, we used models excluding protest zeros. Sample selection models were estimated using Heckman’s two-step and full information maximum likelihood methods The average willingness-to-pay (WTP) was estimated to be 13.79 RMB (equivalent to 2.00 USD) for the unconditional model, and the lower mean values were estimated for two selectivity bias corrected models. In this case, park visitors would be willing to pay an average 11.6 RMB (equivalent to 1.69 USD) per person according to the full information maximum likelihood estimate and an average 10.96 RMB (equivalent to 1.60 USD) per person by the two-step method. Respondents’ satisfaction of forest park facilities and service significantly influenced their WTP value for forest park improvements. Socio-demographic features could not effectively discriminate the protest bidders and the other non-protest bidders. Our results suggest that protesters may value the resource less than positive bidders. The high percentage of protest respondents may be due to the current free use of FNFP and payment vehicle of entrance fee. The CVM approach takes residents’ preferences into consideration and allows the study of heterogenous socio-demographic groups; thus, our data may help to develop effective management plans for improving urban forest parks in China.     

Effects of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on park crime in London,England: An interrupted time series analysis

IntroductionPark crimes may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of lockdowns that limited the number of capable guardians in public spaces. Despite this, the impacts of the lockdowns on park crimes remain unknown. To help us understand the societal impacts of policies implemented during this period, we assessed how the onset of the COVID-19 restrictions impacted urban park crime levels in London, England.MethodsWe identified crimes that occurred in publicly accessible parks and gardens in the Greater London Authority (England, UK) between March 1, 2019 and February 28, 2021 by overlaying open-access crime data with greenspace data supplied by the Greater Information for Greater London service. Using interrupted time series analyses, we estimated seasonality-adjusted associations between the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and park crimes.ResultsOverall (1565.7, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1021.9 to 2109.5) and antisocial behaviour crimes (1772.7, 95% CI 823.6–2721.7) increased in London parks during the first full month of COVID-19 restrictions (April 2020). There were no notable trends in park crimes in London prior to the onset of restrictions, but overall and antisocial behaviour crimes decreased after the onset of restrictions at a rate of 156.4 (95% CI −220.25 to −92.51) and 164.7 (95% CI −280.68 to −48.74) crimes/months, respectively.ConclusionsOverall park crimes increased during the first full month of the COVID-19 restrictions, largely driven by an increase in antisocial behaviours. Additional research is needed to identify the specific misdemeanours that accounted for this rise in antisocial behaviours and to investigate their downstream impacts (e.g. increases in policing costs or decreases in perceived park safety).     

Visitors’ heterogeneous preferences for urban park management: The case of a city park in Oulu,Finland

Utilizing survey data collected using a combined travel cost – conditional behavior method, the aim of this study was to analyze the heterogeneity of preferences among the residents of a city in Finland for the services of an urban park and its stream network. More specifically, by analyzing different behavioral responses to potential changes in ecological, cultural, and commercial services, we identified different groups of visitors to the park with a latent class model. A notable result regarding the demand for services in different classes was that low-income people valued the park more than high-income respondents, making improvements in the park’s recreational potential a successful social project. We found two latent classes, the main distinguishing factor of which was the preferences associated with increasing the number of events in the park. Adding events did not increase the benefits for the first class, but for the second class it did. In relation to class membership, if visitors usually visited the park alone or if they walked or cycled to the park, this increased the likelihood of belonging to a particular visitor group. In addition, we assessed how a possible increase in services affected the recreational value of the urban park for the city’s residents. We found that both the total and net value for different urban groups depended on three factors, i.e., the number of visits, the recreational value of a visit, and the proportion of people in each visitor group. We also used the results of the study to assess the profitability of a construction and management project in the park and found that the project was socially very profitable. Although our study examined a specific park in Finland, its results could also potentially be used when planning the management of other urban parks.     

Vegetation density of urban parks and perceived appropriateness for recreation

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that exposure to, and activities in, nature have beneficial effects on human health. Since a majority of people in many countries live in urban areas, availability and use of urban green areas is of increasing importance to public health. In the present study we measured urban residents’ (Trondheim, Norway) recreational preferences for urban park landscapes varying in vegetation density, and aimed at an identification of background variables and environmental value orientations that we hypothesised to influence such preferences. The results showed that moderately dense scenes received the highest preference ratings. Socio-demographic variables and value orientations predicted preferences for moderate to densely vegetated scenes: A curvi-linear effect of age of respondents was found, with subjects in their mid-40s expressing a higher preference for moderate to dense vegetation, compared to younger and older subjects. Preference for moderate to dense vegetation also increased as the educational levels of the respondents increased. The preference was lower among people living in apartment blocks, relative to those living in detached houses. Of attitudinal and value-related variables, interest in wildlife, and pro-ecological value orientation (measured with the NEP scale) predicted preference for urban parks with moderate and dense vegetation. The existence of preference for relatively dense vegetation in urban parks in segments of the population has consequences for the designing of urban parks in Norway.     

Investigating the spatial distribution of urban parks from the perspective of equity-efficiency: Evidence from Chengdu,China

Urban parks play a crucial role in urban public green infrastructure, providing recreational places for urban residents while carrying values of aesthetics, ecology, humanities, economy, life, and society. However, achieving an equitable and efficient spatial layout of urban parks is a challenging task due to limited urban space resources, which requires further exploration. This study employed multisource big data and GIS technology to constructed an indicator system for evaluating the equity-efficiency of urban park spatial distribution. We examined the spatial distribution of 85 parks across 62 sub-districts in the main urban area of Chengdu, the largest city in western China and the first Park City of China. The results demonstrated that equity was polarized, with an indicator value ranging from 0 to 0.77 and an average value of 0.32. The sub-district of Sansheng had the highest equity, while Wenjia and Kanghe had the lowest equity. Twenty-one sub-districts had no parks, and the equity of park spatial distribution in these areas was low. The efficiency indicator ranged from 0.20 to 0.62, with an average value of 0.40. The efficiency of the main urban area was high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The sub-district of Huangtianba had the highest efficiency, while Jinguanyi had the lowest efficiency. In the two-dimensional quadrant of equity-efficiency, 24 sub-districts had high equity and high efficiency, 13 sub-districts had high equity and low efficiency, 4 sub-districts had low equity and high efficiency, and 21 sub-districts had low equity and low efficiency. At the district level, only Chenghua District’s park was spatial equitable and efficient, surpassing the average level of the main urban area. Finally, we discussed the findings in the context of planning policies for Chengdu in recent years. We proposed that strengthening the construction of small urban parks and green spaces, improving park facilities to meet the diverse social needs of people, and enhancing the quality and attractiveness of the parks are crucial for the future development of park green spaces in the main urban areas of Chengdu.     

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed patterns of green infrastructure use: A scoping review

The use of green infrastructure (GI) has been established as a way to alleviate stress and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a new emphasis on the importance of GI as both a coping mechanism and a source of recreation. This scoping review seeks to address whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of GI, specifically the ways in which the pandemic altered visitation patterns and the frequency of the use of GI. This review identifies studies that explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and GI use and assesses whether the pandemic has altered the use of GI, including whether GI use increased, decreased, or remained the same and examines potential changes in visitation structure as well as other effects studied. This review also discusses how future planning for GI can consider the lessons learned from the pandemic. Key findings suggest that GI use increased, as did visitors’ appreciation for GI and its benefits. The use of local GI to one’s home also increased in importance. Decreases in visitation were typically a result of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and fear of viral transmission within GI.     

Urban parks,value uplift and green gentrification: An application of the spatial hedonic model in the city of Brisbane

This paper explores the impact of urban parks on real estate prices making use of a hedonic price approach. Focusing on Brisbane, Australia, as a case study site, we use spatial hedonic models to analyse housing sales data across 15,000 sales transactions to investigate the effects of parks on nearby housing prices, paying attention to park typology and classification. Our findings indicate that recreational and sport parks are differently associated with price variations. The study also examines a specific and significant inner-city park currently undergoing a major redevelopment—namely Victoria Park. Our analysis of the Victoria Park site seeks to quantify the value uplift, that is, the future increase in property prices as a result of the transformation of the current private golf course in this location into a new publicly accessible parkland. This study’s property economics modelling analysis indicates the conversion of Victoria Park from a golf course to public parkland will increase property prices by an average of 3 % for properties located within 750 m of the park. The article concludes with a discussion of value capture opportunities that these findings present as well as challenges of green gentrification for this and similar urban renewal projects and possible policy responses.     

Relationship between visitor characteristics,physical activity levels and park environment in subtropical areas’ urban parks

Urban parks are of great significance improving the physical and mental health of residents. However, there is still a lack of systematic discussion of the relationship between visitor characteristics, physical activity (PA) levels, and urban park environments, especially within subtropical areas of Asia. We took 12 urban parks in Guangzhou, China as the research objects, comprehensively used BRAT and SOPARC to observe the microenvironment and visitors’ PA in the urban parks, and supplemented the research with interviews. The results of the study revealed that: (1) The urban parks in Guangzhou cannot fully encourage visitors to engage in high PA levels, and due to the temperature of subtropical areas most visitors chose medium and high PA levels in the morning. (2) Leisure preferences and environment features determined that females tended to engage in medium and high PA levels more than males. Minors preferred high PA levels, while other age groups preferred low PA levels. (3) All groups attached great importance to rest facilities and shade. Among them, the youth paied more attention to the quality of the landscape and the middle-aged were attracted by the scent. (4) Low PA levels were affected largely by the site elements and high PA levels were greatly affected by varying terrains and shade. (5) Areas that including recreation and sport facilities had the highest concentration of medium and high PA levels; however, were insufficient to meet the needs of multiple age groups. Finally, we made recommendations to improve the PA levels of visitors in subtropical areas and gave advice concerning more humanized park planning.     

Flowers as attractions in urban parks: Evidence from social media data

Urban parks are among the most important urban public services. Quantifying their visitation intensity and understanding the driving forces behind their popularity is of great relevance to urban planning. We analyze the behavior of park visitors in Beijing based on phenological information extracted from social media data. Specifically, we built a dataset utilizing natural language processing techniques and co-word analysis methods to explore the connection between flowers and park visitation. Our findings revealed that: (1) According to the changing trend of visitor volumes and their peak times, urban parks can be divided into “single-peak” (visitor volumes show a single peak, with significant seasonal characteristics) and “multi-peak” (visitor volumes show multiple peaks with no obvious seasonal characteristics) parks; (2) There is an association between flowers and visitor volumes to urban parks, with a noticeable increase in the frequency of visits to parks especially in spring (i.e., during flowering); (3) Different types of flowers have varying appeal to attract visitors. Further, parks with one or few “dominant flowers” appeal to more visitors than parks without a clear dominating flower (or flowers). Our results provide implications for urban park design and management for improving their scenic qualities.     

The relationship between the distribution and use patterns of parks and their spatial accessibility at the city level: A case study from Tehran,Iran

Parks are recognised as important elements of urban green infrastructure and for providing many benefits to city residents. In countries where urban growth is unplanned and sprawling, green space provision falls behind, inadequate amounts are provided or spaces are not located in the most effective places. Tehran, the capital of Iran, has experienced huge growth in population and corresponding sprawl in recent years. There has been no study of the effectiveness of parks as part of the range of green spaces in the city − their location, accessibility within the urban structure, relationship to the socio-demographic character of the population, amount per capita or quality and condition. Using a combination of existing data supplemented by new data from site surveys, this study firstly looked at the citywide scale of public open space in relation to population and socio-economic patterns. Second, a representative sample of 16 parks was examined in terms of their accessibility within the urban street structure using space syntax. The syntactical results were correlated with several different aspects of each park collected and rated on a 1–5 scale. The results showed a wide range of availability of parks with no specific pattern related to whether the district is better off or poor. The data on green space per district was often heavily biased by the presence of large areas of forest park or non-recreational land which gives a false picture.Many of the best parks are poorly integrated into the street network and found in the better off districts yet are very popular because they are “destination” parks in cooler, hilly areas. Poorly integrated parks in the inner city districts tended to show lower levels of maintenance, were often little used and had vandalism. Much more attention is needed to provide green space in an equitable way.     

Social interactions in urban parks: Stimulating social cohesion?

People from all ethnic backgrounds spend some of their leisure time in green areas. This study found that urban parks are more inclusive green places than non-urban green areas, and that urban parks can promote social cohesion. The objective of the research was to establish the extent to which urban parks facilitate social cohesion and how social interaction and place attachment can contribute to such cohesion. Quantitative research (a survey) and qualitative research (observations and interviews) carried out in five urban parks in the Netherlands revealed that there are many similarities in the ways that ethnic groups use urban parks and in the meanings of such parks to these groups. Urban parks are sites where different ethnic groups mingle and where informal and cursory interactions can stimulate social cohesion. Furthermore, being involved and concerned with parks can facilitate attachment to these places. Urban parks can provide a vital locality where everyday experiences are shared and negotiated with a variety of people. The design of a park, its location and people's image of the park in combination with the cultural characteristics of various ethnic groups inform the opportunities for intercultural interactions.     

A quasi-experimental analysis on the causal effects of COVID-19 on urban park visits: The role of park features and the surrounding built environment

Although many studies have explored the correlations between mobility intervention policies and park use during COVID-19, only a few have used causal inference approaches to assessing the policy’s treatment effects and how such effects vary across park features and surrounding built environments. In this study, we develop an interrupted time-series quasi-experimental design based on three-month mobile phone big data to infer the causal effects of mobility intervention policies on park visits in Shenzhen, including the first-level response (FLR) and return-to-work (RTW) order. The results show that the FLR caused an abrupt decline of 2.21 daily visits per park, with a gradual reduction rate of 0.54 per day, whereas the RTW order helped recover park visits with an immediate increase of 2.20 daily visits and a gradual growth rate of 0.94 visits per day. The results also show that the impact of COVID-19 on park visits exhibited social and spatial heterogeneities: the mobility-reduction effect was smaller in low-level parks (e.g., community-level parks) with small sizes but without sports facilities and water scenes, whereas parks surrounded by compact neighborhoods and land use were more impacted by the pandemic. These findings provide planners with important insights into resilient green space and sustainable neighborhood planning for the post-COVID era.     

Emotional perceptions of people exposed to green and blue spaces in forest parks of cities at rapid urbanization regions of East China

Urbanization modifies the landscape with green and blue spaces (GBS), which further leads to a functional change along an urban-rural gradient. Emotional improvement is a critical service of GBS, which may be perceived and exposed through facial expressions by visitors. How people react, however, may vary at different locations of a city at varied phases of urbanization. In this study, happy and sad emotions were rated as scores from 7965 Sina-Weibo users who visited 77 GBS across 49 cities of East China in 2020. GBS were located in different regions of a city, either near downtown or in more rural-like regions. Compared to cities near the Hu Huanyong line, those along the eastern coast were built with parks that had smaller green spaces at lower elevations in locations near downtown. They also had larger blue spaces in parks at suburban areas of the same cities. People expressed more happiness in GBS in regions closer to remote rural regions, or in cities further from the eastern coast. Larger green spaces were associated with by the presentation more smiles in parks near downtown, while experiences in large blue spaces evoked positive emotions at suburban areas. Overall, GBS in population-dense regions of more developed cities can be perceived as an activation of exposing higher depression by visitors. More smiles can be exposed in GBS with a large green space near downtown, or with a large blue space at suburban regions of a city in East China.