How the COVID-19 pandemic changed patterns of green infrastructure use: A scoping review

Abstract

The use of green infrastructure (GI) has been established as a way to alleviate stress and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a new emphasis on the importance of GI as both a coping mechanism and a source of recreation. This scoping review seeks to address whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of GI, specifically the ways in which the pandemic altered visitation patterns and the frequency of the use of GI. This review identifies studies that explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and GI use and assesses whether the pandemic has altered the use of GI, including whether GI use increased, decreased, or remained the same and examines potential changes in visitation structure as well as other effects studied. This review also discusses how future planning for GI can consider the lessons learned from the pandemic. Key findings suggest that GI use increased, as did visitors' appreciation for GI and its benefits. The use of local GI to one's home also increased in importance. Decreases in visitation were typically a result of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and fear of viral transmission within GI.

Keywords: Nature; Parks; Recreation; Trails; Urban greenspace.

Fig. 1

Diagram of the article search process.

Fig. 2

Distribution of article findings relative to changes in GI use patterns.