Leveraging City Cameras for Human Behavior Analysis in Urban Parks: A Smart City Perspective

Urban parks enhance urban life by providing essential spaces for recreation, relaxation, and social interaction. However, there is a lack of understanding of how park settings influence usage patterns by socio-demographic characteristics. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the association between park characteristics and gendered usage patterns across different times of the day. We employed big data analytics and computer vision techniques to analyze human behavior in two urban parks. These parks have comparable environments characterized by shared features, including paths, playgrounds, seating, lawns, greenery, and amenities. One is designed as a linear park, while the other is trapezoid-shaped. The distribution of facilities varies within the parks’ spaces. The key innovation of this approach lies in the use of computer vision for spatial analysis based on user-specific characteristics, particularly gender. City surveillance cameras are leveraged to gather extensive data on park usage. A comparative evaluation of the two urban parks includes a detailed examination of temporal and spatial usage patterns, offering new insights into the dynamics of urban park utilization. Findings reveal specific park features, such as playgrounds and paths, showed varying levels of utilization by different genders, highlighting the importance of tailored urban design. Males favored open lawns with dog facilities, whereas females preferred areas near playgrounds. The application of smart city technologies, such as city cameras, sets the stage for future directions in urban planning and design, highlighting opportunities to integrate advanced analytics into planning practices.