Pandemic Park Visitation
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
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.