Too hot to go for a walk? How urban green space users respond to changing climatic conditions

Due to climate change, urban environments are becoming warmer. Residents may go to urban parks to cool off if their apartments are too hot (Wong et al., 2024). But regular users of urban green spaces might also stop or shift their activities to other hours of the day (e.g., jogging early in the morning instead of in the evening). Learning more about how residents adapt their green space use to current weather situations can inform urban planning on potential climate adaptation measures. 

Data on green space use can come from different sources. In-situ surveys can detect user activity, use duration and many other aspects but is very time-consuming and, thus, costly. Volunteered geographic information is typically restricted to specific user types and their activities (e.g., runners tracking their activities). In this exploratory research, we would like to check to what extend sensors (cameras, thermal infrared sensors) can track green space use.