Delapré Walk Project: Are signposted walking routes an effective intervention to increase engagement in urban parks? –Natural experimental study

Spatial education interventions in the built environment may increase engagement with urban greenspace. This research was a natural experimental study with mixed-method evaluation and repeated cross-sectional design. Twenty-four directional wayfinding signs were installed within an urban park to create a 3 km signposted walking route through the park's amenities in a clockwise direction. Manual counts on one path and bi-directional automated active infrared counts on six paths along the intervention route were conducted at baseline and 12-month follow-up. A QR code accessed intercept survey was open throughout the follow-up phase to capture user experiences, views, and attitudes toward the intervention. There was no consistent difference in manual counts at baseline or 12-month follow-up between intervention and control parks. Automated counts showed no consistent significant change in clockwise footfall between baseline (median automated count range across six counters: 10–130 clockwise counts per day) and follow-up (Autumn to Winter follow-up median automated count range across six counters: 13–103 clockwise counts per day; Spring to Summer follow-up median automated count range across six counters: 13–124 clockwise counts per day). However, 23% (11 out of 48 people) of clockwise travelling route users reported they were following the signs at 12-month follow-up. Intercept survey respondents (n = 27) appeared to be infrequent park users (number of respondents for ‘my first visit’: 7, and ‘one to two times per month: 9), with the new signs making them feel less anxious about exploring unfamiliar areas, while motivating them to walk further than originally planned and helping them to ‘take notice’ of the landscape. Directional wayfinding for recreational walking appears to help infrequent users engage with urban greenspace.