Heterogeneity in Urban Park Use of Aging Visitors: A Latent Class Analysis

This study describes and predicts urban parks use patterns for various age groups, with specific attention to the growing group of older adults. Park use intensity of various age groups is described. Subsequently, a multinomial logit model is estimated to describe urban park choice as a function of park features, activities, and socio-demographics. To identify segments in park use patterns of aging visitors a latent class model is estimated. Data are collected from a sample of 1,107 residents of the Eindhoven region in The Netherlands in 2002. The results indicate that age significantly affects park choice behavior. Specifically, four segments of older visitors were identified that clearly differed in their park use patterns: active health oriented users, active socially oriented users, passive local users, and moderate users.

Keywords:

• park preferences
• urban parks
• aging
• segments
• latent class model

This study was conducted as part of the Greenspace project, funded by the EC.