Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Population Heat in Urban Green Spaces in China

Using mobile positioning data, the study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population heat in urban green spaces (UGSs) in Beijing, Shanghai, and Qingdao, China. The results were summarized as follows. The range of the spatial distribution of population heat in the three cities expanded in 2020 compared with that in 2019. Moreover, the shape of the hourly curve of population heat in UGSs changed from an inverted U-shape to a flat shape due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted-non-fee-paying UGSs were least affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last, regression analysis revealed a significant influence of the change in population heat in hotel accommodation within UGS service areas on the change of population heat in UGSs. These findings provided new insights into the responses of recreational populations to policy decisions, risk perception of an infectious disease, and resilience to crises of different types of UGSs.