Exploring recreational walking and its correlated built environment factors in river corridor space through a trajectory sematic-based approach

Abstract

Investigating recreational walking in river corridor areas—an important green and blue space—is essential for developing a walking-friendly city and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3. However, existing studies have yet to thoroughly explore the specific behaviors characteristics of walking in these spaces, particularly through the lens of high-resolution geo-located data such as GPS tracks. This study addresses this gap by mining moving, staying, and photo-taking behaviors from trajectory data, grounded in a semantic conceptual model developed by GIS scholars. Using the river corridor in downtown Guangzhou as a case study, we analyze the spatial distribution and potential environmental factors influencing recreational walking activities. Our findings reveal that: (1) The patterns of moving, staying, and taking photos during recreational walking in river corridors exhibit diverse spatial distributions; moving is homogeneously distributed, while the latter two show typical spatial heterogeneity. (2) The characteristics of the three types of recreational walking are linked to the built environment, with varying strengths of correlation; staying behavior is most influenced by built environment factors. Based on these results, we propose planning strategies to enhance the quality of waterfront spaces, emphasizing the creation of flower borders and ensuring transportation accessibility to meet the outdoor activity needs of residents.