Exploring environmental equity and visitation disparities in peri-urban parks: A mobile phone data-driven analysis in Tokyo

Abstract

Peri-urban parks play a crucial role in enhancing urban living conditions and promoting contact with nature. However, assessing environmental equity and visitor disparities in peri-urban parks requires a thorough understanding of visitation patterns, which has been lacking in previous research. To bridge the gap, this study utilizes mobile phone big data from over 40,000 visitors to peri-urban parks in Tokyo. We applied Local Moran's I, Lorenz Curve, Gini coefficient, and K-means clustering methods to scrutinize accessibility and disparities among residents of Tokyo's 23 special wards and within distinct visitor groups. The findings reveal significant insights: Firstly, mobile-based indicators expose disparities, underscoring the relevance of human activities in assessing peri-urban park accessibility, variations in these indicators highlight the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Secondly, Gini coefficient analysis of mobile-based and two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) indicators suggest that extending the service radius beyond 10 km could mitigate environmental inequity. Furthermore, visitation disparities are more distinctly illustrated through mobile-derived visitor subgroups compared to age-demographic groups. These findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers in park planning policy, enabling the development of strategies that address accessibility inequity while establishing effective classifications for peri-urban park visitor groups.