What Drives the Spatial Heterogeneity of Urban Leisure Activity Participation? A Multisource Big Data-Based Metrics in Nanjing, China

With the rapid pace of urbanization, enhancing the quality of life has become an urgent demand for the general public in both developed and developing countries. This study addresses the pressing need to understand the spatial distribution and underlying mechanisms of urban leisure activity participation. To achieve this, we propose a novel methodological framework that integrates diverse big data sources, including mobile phone signaling data, urban geospatial data, and web-crawled data. By applying this framework to the urban area of Nanjing, our study reveals both the temporal and spatial patterns of urban leisure activity participation in the city. Notably, leisure activity participation is significantly higher on weekends, with distinctive daily peaks. Moreover, we identify spatial heterogeneity in leisure activity participation across the study area. Leveraging the OLS regression model, we design and quantify a comprehensive set of 12 internal and external indicators to explore the formation mechanisms of leisure participation for different leisure activity types. Our findings offer valuable guidance for urban planners and policymakers to optimize the allocation of resources, enhance urban street environments, and develop leisure resources in a rational and inclusive manner. Ultimately, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to improve the quality of urban life and foster vibrant and sustainable cities.