articleEnvironmental Research LettersAug 28, 2020GOLD OA

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

ZSZander S. VenterDNDavid N. BartonVGVegard GundersenHFHelene FigariMNMegan Nowell

Norwegian Institute for Nature Research

Indexed incrossrefdoaj

Abstract

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…

Citation impact

745
total citations
FWCI
55.40
Percentile
100%
References
44
Citations per year

Authors

5

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Recreation
  • Geography
  • Social distance
  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Population
  • Pandemic
  • Pedestrian
  • Urban resilience
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Sustainable cities and communities
No related works found for this paper.

Funding