The influence of the residential environment on green-space travel: testing the compensation hypothesis

We investigated whether the use of parks and other green recreational facilities is influenced by the amount of green space around a dwelling and in the immediate neighbourhood. We paid particular attention to testing the compensation hypothesis, which states that people with less green space in their own residential environment are more likely to visit parks or nature reserves. The frequency of visits to green amenities was analyzed in relation to detailed spatial data based on sociodemographic variables. The findings indicated that, although people tend to make more use of green space if it is available in the vicinity, a brown (more urban) residential environment does not result in compensation behaviour. An explanation for this may be self-selection in the residential choice process. It is conceivable, however, that some of the people who do not live in a green neighbourhood but would prefer to do so will move to a more suburban or rural environment.