Productive urban landscapes contribute to physical activity promotion among Tokyo residents

Tokyo is characterized by scattered productive urban landscapes (PULs), such as farmlands, homestead woodlands, and satoyama woodlands, which could potentially promote residents' physical activity against the backdrop of an aging society. We evaluated the contribution of five types of activities conducted in such locations to promote physical activity in 80 participants through data from accelerometers and activity diaries. Older participants engaged in the activities frequently and for long hours, as well as spent a high percentage of their total energy expenditure on these activities. In particular, energy expenditure in satoyama woodlands averaged approximately-one-third of the national weekly recommendations for older adults. The activities at the allotments varied widely among participants in terms of frequency, activity hours, and energy expenditure, which is desirable because it allows participants to remain involved even when they are older. The results of the generalized linear mixed models showed that total daily energy expenditure was significantly higher on workdays, ranging from 1.18 to 1.36 times of non-workdays by type of activity. The hourly energy expenditure in PULs was comparable to that in public parks, compensating for the small park area in Tokyo, even though it ranged from the highest at homestead woodlands to the lowest at satoyama woodlands. Local governments that wish to support public health and conservation of urban green spaces could encourage residents to use PULs that remain within urban areas. In aging and shrinking cities, they could gain the same benefits by converting poorly managed land to PULs.