KD, agreed on all points for the USA too.
It's hard to quantify how much the action has changed at public places, and I still see reviews from parks, public toilets, even department store fitting rooms from coast to coast. Many do say they arrange to meet online, some just show up at, say,
Prospect Park in Brooklyn - documented with photos in the 2015 book
In the Vale of Cashmere - or in
Meridian Hill Park in DC, known as "Malcolm X Park."
It's interesting that both of these places seem to be frequented primarily by men of color, but I see others that attract a wider demographic, such as
Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. A report in
XTRA: Do gay guys still cruise for public sex? had a reporter in this park. He seemed to think things didn't live up to his hopes (the men were "boring") but then again, he'd visited the City for
Dore Alley, the Folsom Street Fair. A park just doesn't compete. Still, his conclusion was "public cruising is still alive and well in San Francisco."
What I get from all this is it depends on the city, the people, the time, and especially one's expectations. Given that, the overall amount, context, and methods associated with public cruising have evolved - just as society has evolved.