Through a quantitative approach, this study aimed to clarify the changes in the number of visitors and visits to green spaces according to green space type before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the changes in the proportion of repeat visitors and the distance between green spaces and visitors’ places of residence. We used KDDI Location Analyzer, which performs novel analysis using mobile phone GPS and census data. The study area included 10 target sites (urban parks and nature trails in the backcountry) located in the Sapporo metropolitan area in Japan. The survey period included snow-free seasons from 2019 to 2021, and 2019 was considered the period “before the pandemic.” The results revealed that the number of visits during the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, except for those of urban parks near the city center. In 2020, the proportion of repeat visitors increased for all 10 target sites. In addition, since the outbreak of the pandemic, distances between all urban parks and visitors’ residences decreased. The same trend was observed for nature trails in the backcountry close to the city center. These findings indicate a generally decreasing trend in the number of visits to green spaces as many people have been refraining from visiting the site since the outbreak of the pandemic. Contrastingly, the number of visits by repeat visitors who reside close to the target sites has increased in some cases, which compensated for the general decreases.

通过定量方法，本研究旨在阐明 COVID-19 大流行前后根据绿地类型的游客数量和绿地访问量的变化。我们探讨了回头客比例的变化以及绿地与游客居住地之间的距离。我们使用了 KDDI Location Analyzer，它使用手机 GPS 和人口普查数据执行新颖的分析。研究区域包括位于日本札幌大都市区的 10 个目标地点（城市公园和偏远地区的自然小径）。调查期间包括2019年至2021年的无雪季节，2019年被认为是“大流行之前”的时期。结果显示，与大流行前相比，大流行期间的访问量有所增加，靠近市中心的城市公园除外。2020 年，所有 10 个目标站点的回头客比例均有所增加。此外，自疫情爆发以来，所有城市公园与游客住所之间的距离都在缩短。在靠近市中心的偏远地区的自然小径上也观察到了同样的趋势。这些调查结果表明，由于自大流行爆发以来许多人一直避免访问绿地，因此访问绿地的次数总体呈下降趋势。相比之下，居住在目标站点附近的重复访问者的访问次数在某些情况下有所增加，这弥补了普遍减少的情况。所有城市公园与游客住所之间的距离都缩短了。在靠近市中心的偏远地区的自然小径上也观察到了同样的趋势。这些调查结果表明，由于自大流行爆发以来许多人一直避免访问绿地，因此访问绿地的次数总体呈下降趋势。相比之下，居住在目标站点附近的重复访问者的访问次数在某些情况下有所增加，这弥补了普遍减少的情况。所有城市公园与游客住所之间的距离都缩短了。在靠近市中心的偏远地区的自然小径上也观察到了同样的趋势。这些调查结果表明，由于自大流行爆发以来许多人一直避免访问绿地，因此访问绿地的次数总体呈下降趋势。相比之下，居住在目标站点附近的重复访问者的访问次数在某些情况下有所增加，这弥补了普遍减少的情况。