Pandemic Park Visitation

Presenter's Name(s)

Kelsey Linnell, UVMFollow

Conference Year

January 2021

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions on indoor gatherings, public activities, and human mobility in the United States. With access to indoor spaces limited, and those spaces themselves becoming associated with risk, outdoor spaces became a more prominent destination. Existing research into park visitations is largely based on surveys, or regional mobility data. Using a large data set that tracks roughly 10% of distinct mobile devices, we analyze visitations for 10,233 parks in the US for 2019 and 2020. The hi-resolution data allow us to explore the relationship between increases in visitation and the demographic characteristics of adjacent communities.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Chris Danforth

Secondary Mentor Name

Peter Dodds

Faculty/Staff Collaborators

Chris Danforth (Advisor), Peter Dodds (Advisor), Mikaela Fudolig (Postdoc Mentor)

Status

Graduate

Student College

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Program/Major

Mathematical Sciences

Primary Research Category

Social Sciences

Abstract only.

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Pandemic Park Visitation

The COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions on indoor gatherings, public activities, and human mobility in the United States. With access to indoor spaces limited, and those spaces themselves becoming associated with risk, outdoor spaces became a more prominent destination. Existing research into park visitations is largely based on surveys, or regional mobility data. Using a large data set that tracks roughly 10% of distinct mobile devices, we analyze visitations for 10,233 parks in the US for 2019 and 2020. The hi-resolution data allow us to explore the relationship between increases in visitation and the demographic characteristics of adjacent communities.