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South Korea is on the verge of becoming a super-aged society, with the elderly population (aged 65 and older) projected to exceed 20% of the total population by 2025, 30% by 2036, and 40% by 2050 (KOSTAT, 2024). This demographic shift poses significant economic challenges. Coupled with the fact that two-thirds of Korean elderly do not meet the recommended physical activity levels according to national guidelines (Ku, 2017, as cited in Lee, 2022), they also face numerous health challenges (KOSTAT, 2023). These challenges include diseases linked to insufficient physical activity (Carnethon, 2009; Yang et al., 2024), such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which are among the leading causes of mortality for the elderly in South Korea, alongside cancer, COVID-19, and pneumonia.
Encouraging park use has been recognized as an affordable and effective strategy for promoting physical activity among older adults (Lee, 2022). Increased park visitation not only aids in meeting recommended physical activity levels but also contributes to the economy by reducing healthcare costs (Barrett, Miller, & Frumkin, 2014). Furthermore, park visits have been shown to promote physical activity, reduce sedentary behavior, enhance mental health, and foster social interactions among the elderly (Finlay, Franke, McKay, & Sims-Gould, 2015).
Park visitation and usage are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include features within the park, such as park size (Giles-Corti et al., 2005; Zhang & Zhou, 2018) and the availability of facilities (Kaczynski, Potwarka, & Saelens, 2008; Zhai et al., 2021). Extrinsic factors relate to the surrounding environment, which also plays a critical role. Physical characteristics in the areas surrounding parks, such as land use diversity (Parra et al., 2010; Huang et al., 2020), building age (Ren & Guan, 2022), violent crime rates (Han et al., 2018; Marquet et al., 2019), bus stop density (Li et al., 2020), and proximity to subway stations (Lee et al., 2024), have all been identified as factors that affect park visitation.
Recent trend shows studies which utilize mobile phone trip data and points of interest (POI) data suggest that surrounding facilities may attract park users (Lyu & Zhang, 2019; Li et al., 2020; Zeng & Liu, 2023; Chen et al., 2018). Parks located near convenient external amenities and areas with high urban vitality have been found to experience increased visitation (Li et al., 2020). This correlation suggests that the presence of surrounding facilities encourages park visits by offering greater convenience and contributing to a more vibrant urban atmosphere. However, despite these findings, no research has explicitly demonstrated a direct relationship between park usage and the utilization of surrounding facilities. This gap leaves an open question as to whether surrounding facilities actively influence park visitation or vice versa.
To address this gap, our research utilizes aggregated mobile phone data to analyze mobility patterns among the elderly users in Seoul, focusing on the elderly visitation to neighborhood park. Through statistical analysis, we aim to identify patterns of elderly neighborhood park visits in relation to visits to surrounding facilities. By doing so, this study seeks to confirm the assumption that the presence of surrounding facilities influences elderly park visits—or, conversely, that park visits affect the utilization of nearby facilities.
| Keywords | Elderly Park Visit; Neighborhood Park; Surrounding Facilities; |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
