Research on Urban Park Planning in Cold Regions to Promote Fitness Behavior for Cardiovascular Health

Based on the concept and developmental experience of Park Rx, this research tries to explore the ideas of urban park planning to deal with high incidence of cardiovascular health problems in the context of cold climate. Through interview, questionnaire survey and field observations, it investigates and analyzes the park's support for winter fitness behaviors for cardiovascular health. It finds that community parks usually have relatively better configuration of activity facilities, but are slightly inadequate for some people in accessibility, and to be improved in detailed designs for safety, comfort, and exhaust gas isolation of the frontage. The residential yards have outstanding accessibility advantage, but there are gaps in the comfort and the configuration of activity facilities. Accordingly, in view of the components of the Park Rx at the spatial level, it proposes the strategies of Park Rx planning for promoting fitness behaviors for cardiovascular health in cold region cities, including optimization of park layout, improvement of park design, and establishment of park database, in order to improve the health service level of parks in the cites in the long winter.