This article is a pre-publication finding article conducted by scholars to see how important green spaces are to the physical and mental wellbeing for city residents. That said, according to the results cited, the pandemic did not significantly or negatively affect the use of public green spaces. In fact, many from the social survey said they continued to make use of green spaces because they found it important for their own wellbeing. It could be said that, despite the need to be socially distanced, stay-at-home orders have also changed activity patterns and perhaps increased people's need to get out of their homes and enjoy a walk around the block or the park. However, people are also not very likely to use the green space near their home if it doesn't have the desired amenities or if it is too small and, thus, crowded.
Source
Lopez, B., Kennedy, C., McPhearson, T. (2020). Parks are Critical Urban Infrastructure: Perception and Use of Urban Green Spaces in NYC During COVID-19. Urban Systems Lab. Preprints, 2020080620 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202008.0620.v1).
Bianca Lopez, Christopher Kennedy and Timon McPhearson, "Parks are Critical Urban Infrastructure: Perception and Use of Urban Green Spaces in NYC During COVID-19", contributed by Briana Leone, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 11 September 2020, accessed 26 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/parks-are-critical-urban-infrastructure-perception-and-use-urban-green-spaces-nyc-during
Critical Commentary
This article is a pre-publication finding article conducted by scholars to see how important green spaces are to the physical and mental wellbeing for city residents. That said, according to the results cited, the pandemic did not significantly or negatively affect the use of public green spaces. In fact, many from the social survey said they continued to make use of green spaces because they found it important for their own wellbeing. It could be said that, despite the need to be socially distanced, stay-at-home orders have also changed activity patterns and perhaps increased people's need to get out of their homes and enjoy a walk around the block or the park. However, people are also not very likely to use the green space near their home if it doesn't have the desired amenities or if it is too small and, thus, crowded.