• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2022

Animal companionship is gaining popularity in Korea, and interest in dog walking is also increasing as a strategy to maintain the physical and mental health of dogs and dog owners. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and satisfaction of dog owners with the neighborhood environments for dog walking and to examine the willingness to pay (WTP) for an off-leash dog park. Of a total of 249 online survey respondents, 47.8% said they take a walk at least once a day and mainly walk around nearby neighborhoods or parks. Respondents showed a high attachment to their dogs and recognized that dog walks help increase physical activity and maintain the health of owners and their dogs. The satisfaction with neighborhood environments, such as attractive views and the connection of walking trails, was low, and there was a high demand for off-leash dog parks. The truncated mean WTP was estimated to be 85,618 Korean Won, and the result of regression analysis and t-test revealed that walking frequency and the satisfaction with dog walking facilities were statistically significant in the WTP. In order to encourage dog walking to promote physical activity and health, more attention needs to be devoted to improving neighborhood environments for dog walking.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture Conference
• /
• 2021.10a
• /
• pp.94-95
• /
• 2021

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.34-45
• /
• 2024

Companion animals are increasingly being recognized as members of society in outdoor public spaces. However, the presence of dogs in cities has become a subject of conflict between pet owners and non-pet owners, causing problems in terms of hygiene and noise. This study was conducted to analyze public complaint data using the keywords 'dog,' 'pet,' and 'puppy' through text mining techniques to identify the causes of conflicts in outdoor public spaces related to dogs and to identify key issues. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, the majority of dog-related complaints were related to the use of outdoor public spaces. Second, different types of outdoor public spaces have different spatial issues. Third, there were a total of four topics of dog-related complaints: 'Requesting a dog playground', 'Raising safety issues related to animals', 'Using facilities other than dog-only areas', and 'Requesting increased park management and enforcement related to pet tickets'. This study analyzed the perceptions of citizens surrounding pets at a time when the creation and use of public spaces related to pets are expanding. In particular, it is significant in that it applied a new method of collecting public opinions by adopting complaint data that clearly presents problems and requests.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.15-29
• /
• 2021

The study aims to grasp the perception and appraisal of urban park users through text analysis. This study used Google review data provided by Google Maps. Google Maps Review is an online review platform that provides information evaluating locations through social media and provides an understanding of locations from the perspective of general reviewers and regional guides who are registered as members of Google Maps. The study determined if the Google Maps Reviews were useful for extracting meaningful information about the user perceptions and appraisals for parks management plans. The study chose three urban parks in Seoul, South Korea; Seoul Forest, Boramae Park, and Olympic Park. Review data for each of these three parks were collected via web crawling using Python. Through text analysis, the keywords and network structure characteristics for each park were analyzed. The text was analyzed, as were park ratings, and the analysis compared the reviews of residents and foreign tourists. The common keywords found in the review comments for the three parks were "walking", "bicycle", "rest" and "picnic" for activities, "family", "child" and "dogs" for accompanying types, and "playground" and "walking trail" for park facilities. Looking at the characteristics of each park, Seoul Forest shows many outdoor activities based on nature, while the lack of parking spaces and congestion on weekends negatively impacted users. Boramae Park has the appearance of a city park, with various facilities providing numerous activities, but reviewers often cited the park's complexity and the negative aspects in terms of dog walking groups. At Olympic Park, large-scale complex facilities and cultural events were frequently mentioned, emphasizing its entertainment functions. Google Maps Review can function as useful data to identify parks' overall users' experiences and general feelings. Compared to data from other social media sites, Google Maps Review's data provides ratings and understanding factors, including user satisfaction and dissatisfaction.