Tourist impact management in ecotourism destinations requires an accurate description of tourists’ spatiotemporal behavior patterns and recreation preferences to minimize the ecological environmental impact and maximize the recreation experience. This study classified tourist behaviors into five typical behavior patterns based on the digital footprints of tourists visiting Ziwuyu of the Qinling Mountains, including 348 traveling tracks and 750 corresponding geotagged photographs: short-distance, traversing, reentrant, large loop, and small loop. Furthermore, each behavior pattern’s recreation preference was identified using photograph analysis. Tourists with large-loop and reentrant behavior patterns have 89.8% and 30% chances of visiting Jianshanding, respectively. Key protected areas are faced with the risk of ecological environmental damage. Based on the behavior pattern differentiation and preference of tourists, this paper provides a decision-making basis for the classified management and guidance of tourists in ecotourism destinations. It has reference value for the management of similar ecotourism destinations.

Urban parks, key components of green infrastructure (GI), offer paved open spaces that significantly impact physical activity (PA) among older adults. However, the environmental features of these spaces and their effects on PA remain underexplored. Existing studies often overlook factors like spatial configuration, planar morphology, and bag storage facilities, and lack a systematic analytical framework. Many also rely on simplistic PA measurements and struggle with multicollinearity in data analysis. This study addresses these gaps by proposing a comprehensive framework examining four environmental dimensions: spatial configuration, planar morphology, facility provision, and visual greenery. Using GPS-tracked mobility data, behavioral audits, and multicollinearity-robust Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression, we analyze the impact of these features on PA. Results show that functional elements—higher spatial integration (VIP = 1.04), larger activity areas (VIP = 1.82), sufficient bag storage (VIP = 1.64), outdoor fitness equipment (VIP = 1.30), and diverse greenery (VIP = 1.23)—significantly enhance PA. In contrast, factors like floral diversity (VIP = 0.67), water visibility (VIP = 0.48), and shape complexity (VIP = 0.16) have minimal effects. This study provides theoretical insights and practical strategies for retrofitting paved park spaces, contributing to age-friendly urban GI.

The existing evidence regarding the influence of visual and physical environmental features of park pathways on walking behavior is limited and contentious, partly due to the lack of control over pathway configurational attributes and walking behavior measurement methods. This study addresses this gap by using space syntax and GPS to quantify the structural attributes and pedestrian counts within the pathways in Fengqing Park. Through stratified regression analysis, we examined the impact of environmental factors on walking behavior while controlling for pathway configurational attributes. The findings reveal that even after accounting for pathway configurational attributes, visual (R² = 0.223) and physical (R² = 0.173) environmental factors significantly affect walking behavior. Specifically, pathways with greater choice (β = 0.359, p < 0.01) and depth (β = 0.179, p < 0.05) are more favored. In terms of visual elements, landscape architecture (β = 0.143, p < 0.05) enhances walking behavior, while the presence of water bodies (β = –0.168, p < 0.01) negatively affects it. With respect to the physical environment, path width (β = 0.514, p < 0.01), length (β = 0.163, p < 0.05), and surface smoothness (β = 0.152, p < 0.05) play significant roles in influencing walking behavior. This study contributes to advancing our understanding of the impact of the environmental features of urban park pathways on walking behavior, reconciling research disparities in this domain, and providing guidance for the design and improvement of park pathways.

High-density urban parks are essential spaces for residents in core urban areas for restorative experiences and routine leisure. Research on the impact of cross-density contexts on the motivational structure of park recreation remains limited. Empirical identification under a high-density Built Environment remains limited, and cross-density comparison is largely absent. This study examines five high-density parks using 583 valid questionnaires and the Recreation Experience Preference (REP) scale with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the motivational structure and motivational expression strength of park recreation. Standardized density assessment and cross-density comparison in existing studies generate exploratory hypotheses. Results identify eight motivational dimensions, explaining 62.36% of the variance. Physical well-being, nature enjoyment, relaxation and family bonding, and social connection are consistently recognized across density contexts, while escape, introspection and self-realization, learning and exploration, and autonomy and independence are more likely to emerge as independent dimensions in high-density contexts. Physical well-being and social connection appear at higher proportions in low-density contexts. This study provides direct empirical evidence on the motivational structure of urban park recreation in high-density Built Environments, exploratory evidence for understanding the potential associations between urban spatial contexts and psychological needs, and a foundation for future research in human-centered urban landscape planning and management.