A Conceptual Framework and a Swedish Case Study of Recreational Behavior and Environmental Cognition

Abstract

A conceptual framework for studies of outdoor recreation in the day trip area of urban places is outlined. The decision-making process behind individual choices of day trip destinations are used as a point of departure. Relationships between some of the components of the conceptual model are examined in an empirical study of day trip behavior in an urban region in Sweden. Day trip patterns reflect variations in the resource base of the day trip area, residentially based directional biases, time-budget constraints, and the use of nearby second homes as a base for day trip activities. Information about the sample population's with places in the day trip area is used to examine subgroup variations in environmental cognition and to explore the relationship between day trip patterns and familiarity space.