| Leisure physical activity is crucial for improving individual health and preventing chronic diseases.As the main place for carrying leisure and physical activities of modern urban residents,the spatial characteristics of parks can directly affect the level of physical activity of users.This study introduces spatial syntax theory based on existing park spatial features,which can quantify park spatial topological relationships,express spatial organizational characteristics,and supplement the existing park spatial feature research system.Heyang County,Weinan City,Shaanxi Province is located in the central part of Shaanxi Province,with the industrial development level and population level ranking in the middle reaches of the province.This article takes this county as a representative of a small town in the northwest region for research,and selects five sample parks with mature construction,large population flow,and different types: Kowloon Park(Central District),Kowloon Park(Western District),Jinshui Ecological Park,Sports Park,and Weibei Botanical Garden.Systematic observation was conducted on the activity behavior of users in the above sample parks(4973 pieces of physical activity data were collected),and the spatial characteristics of the parks were analyzed(651pieces of spatial characteristic data were obtained).Correlation analysis,chi-square and significance testing,regression analysis,and other methods were used to explore the relationship between park characteristics and leisure physical activity of users through SPSS software.Reveal the impact mechanism of the spatial characteristics of small town parks in the northwest region,represented by Heyang County,on user activity levels,and propose a nationwide fitness oriented optimization and improvement plan for small town parks.The results of this study are as follows:(1)Characteristics of recreational physical activity(hereinafter referred to as physical activity)among park users: There are significant differences in user participation in low intensity physical activity and medium to high intensity physical activity(hereinafter referred to as MVPA)among populations.Low intensity activities are mainly performed by adult women,while medium and high intensity activities are mainly performed by young men.Group sports activities occur in the evening(6:30-8:30).The elderly group has the lowest park utilization rate and MVPA participation,with MVPA mainly derived from fitness equipment.Children’s activities are mainly distributed in squares or venues with activity facilities.Teenagers gather in professional sports venues,and MVPA participation is about 39 times higher than that of the elderly group.Based on the observation of user activity time,it was found that weekends during the week had little impact on user MVPA participation,with MVPA participation in the morning being 1.7 times higher than in the evening.(2)Park spatial organization characteristics: The integration degree,R3 integration degree,and connectivity among the spatial organization characteristics indicators are more susceptible to the impact of the park’s spatial connection status.The closer the spatial connection,the positive correlation between the above indicator values.The spatial organization characteristics of parks with uniform layout exhibit higher integration,R3 integration,and connectivity,while the values of the above indicators are lower for parks with linear layout;In contrast,the average depth and selectivity are more susceptible to the impact of the number of park spaces,with more trivial spaces,more complex road networks,and more turning points.The above indicator values are more likely to change in spaces with more turning points.(3)The average depth,integration,R3 integration,and connectivity among spatial organization characteristics indicators can affect spatial pedestrian flow and MVPA participation levels.Among them,the average depth of space has the strongest correlation with the total number of space users,metabolic equivalent per capita for moderate to high intensity leisure physical activity(MVPA MET),and metabolic equivalent per capita for moderate to high intensity leisure physical activity(MVPA MET).The average depth of the space represents the convenience of the site.The greater the average depth,the fewer times it is traversed,resulting in a decrease in spatial pedestrian flow and MVPA levels.Therefore,in park planning,spaces with high spatial depth values can be divided into static activity areas.(4)Area characteristics and spatial activity facility characteristics have a certain impact on spatial pedestrian flow,but the level of MVPA participation is no longer affected by spatial area characteristics and spatial activity facility characteristics.Compared to low-intensity participants who randomly choose suitable park space activities,MVPA participants have a clearer purpose of activities and are more susceptible to the impact of spatial organization characteristics.In particular,MVPA participants who have daily fitness habits will choose more accessible venues,or choose more open and connected venues for fixed use based on the nature of the activity.(5)Optimization strategy for small town parks: The optimization and promotion of small town parks based on national fitness should first clarify the rules of activities of various groups of people,promote participation in medium and high intensity activities,add professional sports venues suitable for all ages,appropriately increase the facilities for children’s activities,and promote the construction of fitness trails;Secondly,set the distribution of parks according to the population distribution,clarify the scale and type,and improve the accessibility of parks;Finally,a reasonable layout of the park fitness activity space and other types of spatial organization relationships,and labeling the park fitness activity space can help promote participation in medium to high intensity activities.This study quantitatively investigates the characteristics of parks in Heyang County and explores the influencing factors on users’ physical activity behavior,providing strategies for optimizing small town parks in the northwest region.Due to research time constraints,the collected user activity data is limited,and subsequent research can increase the sample size to obtain more information.In addition,due to the subjective nature of the observation methods,there may be biases in the collected physical activity characteristics of users.In future research,objective measurement methods such as accelerometers can be used to improve the accuracy of the study. |
