Mapping urban greenspace use from mobile phone GPS data

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248622
• Publication Date: 2021-07-07T18:24:49Z
• Authors: Meghann Mears; Paul Brindley; Paul Barrows; Miles Richardson; Ravi Maheswaran
• Keywords: Mobile phone; Demographics

Urban greenspace is a valuable component of the urban form that has potential to improve health and well-being residents. Most quantitative studies relationships between date have investigated associations only with what exists in local environment (i.e. provision greenspace), rather than extent it used. This due difficulty obtaining usage data large amounts. In recent years, GPS functionality integrated into mobile phones provided solution this problem by making possible track which parts people experience their day-to-day lives. paper, we demonstrate method derive cleaned, trip-level information from raw collected phone app, then use investigate characteristics trips residents city Sheffield, UK. We find users app spend an average hour per week visiting greenspaces, including around seven covering total distance just over 2.5 km. may be enough provide benefits, but insufficient maximal benefits. Trip vary user demographics: ethnic minority more socioeconomically deprived areas tend make shorter White those less areas, while aged 34 years longer younger users. Women, on average, frequent men, as do who spent time outside child. Our results suggest most visits are incidental, i.e. travelling through greenspace, highlight importance social cultural factors when investigating uses benefits greenspace.