Parks as behavioral climate adaptation infrastructure: mechanisms and limits under extreme heat

Urban parks are increasingly positioned as critical nature-based solutions for mitigating extreme heat. However, while their physical cooling capacity is well-documented, their role as infrastructure for behavioral climate adaptation remains underexplored. This study examines urban parks as behavioral climate adaptation infrastructure by integrating event-based mobility analysis, park-level adaptation performance assessment, and neighborhood-scale accessibility analysis in the City of Las Vegas. Using anonymized mobility records, extreme heat episodes were identified and linked to changes in visitation intensity, dwell time, and nighttime use. Event-level behavioral responses were summarized using the Park Behavioral Adaptation Index (PBAI), while longer-term park performance was evaluated using the Park Adaptation Performance Score (PACS). Accessibility to higher-performing parks was subsequently assessed in relation to neighborhood social vulnerability. The results reveal three key findings. First, adaptation occurs primarily through temporal reallocation. Second, adaptation performance varies substantially across parks and cannot be explained by park size, morphology, vegetation greenness, or amenity provision alone. Third, access to higher-performing parks is unevenly distributed across the city. Adaptation deficit zones are concentrated in lower-income, renter-dominated, and minority neighborhoods, indicating that opportunities for park-based adaptation are socially unequal. By linking behavioral responses, park performance, and adaptive accessibility within a unified framework, this study shifts attention from the cooling potential of parks to their role in enabling realized adaptation under extreme heat.