Using Mobile Phone Data to Understand the Demographic Characteristics and Behavioral Patterns of Park Visitors in a Megacity, Beijing, China

Abstract BackgroundUrban parks are important places that allow urban residents to experience nature but are also associated with the risk of exposure to contaminated soil. Local researches on demographic characteristics and population behavior patterns are the basis of soil exposure assessment. The objectives were to determine park visitors’ demographic characteristics and behavioral patterns. MethodsA total of 86 urban parks in Beijing were selected, and mobile phone data were used to quantify the park visits, identify the demographic characteristics of the visitors, and determine the visitors’ stay times. A Kruskal-Wallis test and kernel density estimation were used for difference analysis and to describe the spatial aggregation of visitors, respectively. A random forest model was used to analyze the factors influencing the visitors’ stay times.ResultsVisitor numbers at comprehensive parks and theme parks decreased significantly in winter, whereas seasonal variations in visitor numbers at community parks and country parks were small. Almost half of the visitors to Beijing’s urban parks were foreign visitors, who, unlike local visitors, preferred to visit parks located in the city’s center. Parks were mostly used by males and visitors aged 31–45. Most visitors stayed in the park for 1–2 h, and the distance from a given visitor’s home to the park was the most important factor affecting stay time, contributing 80.65% of the difference in stay time.ConclusionsThis study provides a quantitative analysis of the patterns relating to urban park use by different groups of people. Changes in behavior patterns of different groups of people should be considered when assessing soil exposure.