Parks as leisure spaces for older adults' daily wellness: a Korean case study

Abstract

The numbers of older adults in Eastern Asia has been rapidly increasing in recent years and this trend is expected to continue. This study explores the changing pattern of park usage as a daily wellness leisure space by older adults using 10-year time-series data. The study focuses on one of the most popular urban parks in a metropolitan city in Korea as a case in point. Motivation, interests, and behaviour patterns of older adults using the park were analysed. Data from the time-series research with a 10-year gap indicate significant differences in urban park usage between the two periods. The findings from this research will be valuable for policy development and the management of parks for older adults who use the parks as a daily wellness leisure space.

Keywords:

• older adults
• urban parks
• wellness
• motivation
• behaviour
• Korea