The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Moscow residents to change their recreation strategies and spend more time in quiet places in parks. This was reported by the press service of the RNF.
In 2020, in connection with the spread of COVID-19, quarantine measures were introduced in Moscow. Among other things, visiting city parks was forbidden – it was assumed that this would reduce the number of contacts between people and prevent the spread of infection. This ban is probably negative It affected people’s psychological comfort, and after its removal, Muscovites, on the contrary, began to spend more time outside. But it’s not clear how the pandemic has affected resting place choice.
Experts from the People’s Friendship University of Russia and colleagues from other institutions decided to compare which recreation areas Muscovites choose before and after COVID-19. To do this, using machine learning algorithms, the authors analyzed more than 20 thousand photos of citizens from the VKontakte social network, taken from January 2019 to December 2020 in three city parks: Timiryazevsky, Sokolniki Cultural and Amusement Park and Central Park named after M. Gorky. Culture and Leisure.
All of them are of different types: Timiryazevsky Park is actually a forest without serious infrastructure, Sokolniki is a forest park, and Gorky Park is a permanent “urban” park, designed for mass celebrations and events. The analysis showed that the number of photos in all parks decreased during the quarantine, with the most striking – up to tenfold – in Gorky Park. At the same time, the peak of participation in the park occurred in September 2020, while the restrictions were lifted in June.
At the same time, the most unexpected result is that visitors to Sokolniki and Gorky Park before the pandemic are mostly in the area of ​​exhibitions and sports grounds, then – on park paths and natural areas, venues for events and infrastructure facilities. In addition, the number of park nature photos after the quarantine increased by 5-7% compared to the same period of 2019. This is probably due to people trying to compensate for the long-term isolation from nature.
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Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.