Users’ experiences of park accessibility and attractiveness based on online review analytics

Understanding public experiences of urban parks is crucial for their sustainable and effective management. While traditional surveys demand substantial resources, social media data present a cost-effective approach to capturing people's perceptions. This study utilizes Google reviews to examine users' sentiments regarding Cairo's urban parks. Using topic modeling, we identified four key themes: quality and maintenance, family and activities, costs and affordability, and natural environment. Sentiment analysis revealed that 79.8% of reviews expressed positive sentiments, while 8.1% were negative. Statistical analysis indicated that: (1) safety and commercialization-related factors like food and ticket prices significantly influence park accessibility; and (2) park attractiveness is strongly associated with the park's cultural (e.g., aesthetic experiences, leisure and entertainment opportunities) and regulatory features (e.g., cleanliness, quietness). An in-depth content analysis validated these findings and added nuanced interpretation. These findings demonstrated that online reviews can serve as a valuable indicator of park accessibility and attractiveness, thereby fostering more informed park management decisions. However, we also acknowledge their limitations, such as potential bias towards more tech-savvy users and the lack of detailed demographic information. Therefore, future research should combine social media data with traditional qualitative methods to capture the broader socio-cultural dynamics influencing park use.