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. 2025 Jul 28;20(7):e0329278.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329278. eCollection 2025.

Exploring the influence of path environment factors on walking behavior in urban parks with configuration attribute control

Wei Dong  1 , Qi Kang  2 , Gangkui Wang  1 , Ruiqian Hou  3 , Ping Liu  4
Affiliations

Exploring the influence of path environment factors on walking behavior in urban parks with configuration attribute control

Wei Dong et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The existing evidence regarding the influence of visual and physical environmental features of park pathways on walking behavior is limited and contentious, partly due to the lack of control over pathway configurational attributes and walking behavior measurement methods. This study addresses this gap by using space syntax and GPS to quantify the structural attributes and pedestrian counts within the pathways in Fengqing Park. Through stratified regression analysis, we examined the impact of environmental factors on walking behavior while controlling for pathway configurational attributes. The findings reveal that even after accounting for pathway configurational attributes, visual (R² = 0.223) and physical (R² = 0.173) environmental factors significantly affect walking behavior. Specifically, pathways with greater choice (β = 0.359, p < 0.01) and depth (β = 0.179, p < 0.05) are more favored. In terms of visual elements, landscape architecture (β = 0.143, p < 0.05) enhances walking behavior, while the presence of water bodies (β = -0.168, p < 0.01) negatively affects it. With respect to the physical environment, path width (β = 0.514, p < 0.01), length (β = 0.163, p < 0.05), and surface smoothness (β = 0.152, p < 0.05) play significant roles in influencing walking behavior. This study contributes to advancing our understanding of the impact of the environmental features of urban park pathways on walking behavior, reconciling research disparities in this domain, and providing guidance for the design and improvement of park pathways.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. (a) Plan of Fengqing Park. (b) Park Scenes from Fengqing Park.
Fig 2
Fig 2. (a) Raw trajectory point samples of park visitors' walking behavior. (b) Conversion of trajectory points into trajectory lines.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Walking visitor counts on various pathways within the park.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Visualization of the four structural attributes of park pathways.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Average number of pedestrians on park pathways with different widths.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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