TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship of neighbourhood built environment features and adult parents' walking
AU - Alfonzo, Mariela A.
AU - Boarnet, Marlon G.
AU - Day, Kristen
AU - Mcmillan, Tracy
AU - Anderson, Craig L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This evaluation was funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), with additional funding from the University of California Transportation Center, which is funded by the US and California Departments of Transportation. The authors appreciate the support of Randy Ronning, Division of Local Assistance, Caltrans. The authors are grateful for excellent research assistance from Gia David Bartolome, Christopher Boyko, Luis Escobedo, Eric Gage, Tiffany Katayama, Jennifer Kunz, Layal Nawfal, Anthony Raeker, Meghan Sherburn, C. Scott Smith, Irene Tang and Priscilla Thio.
PY - 2008/2
Y1 - 2008/2
N2 - Research on urban design and walking often emphasizes macro-scale features of the physical environment, such as block length and number of intersections, that can be measured remotely using GIS and or aerial photographs. In contrast, urban designers emphasize the importance of micro-scale features in individuals' use and experience of neighbourhood environments. This paper moves beyond examining correlations of individual built environment features and walking, to begin to test proposals about which composite characteristics of the built environment (safety, comfort, etc.) may have the greatest impact on walking. Several urban design characteristics of 11 neighbourhoods throughout California were observed. Self-report, adult walking data on the number and types of walking trips were obtained from surveys administered to parents of 3rd-5th graders. Urban design features related to both accessibility and safety are associated with the amount of walking that adults do in their neighbourhoods. Grouping related urban design variables into indices provides some clarity as to how the built environment may impact walking. Safety emerges as the most important built environment characteristic (of those tested), related to both destination and recreational walking.
AB - Research on urban design and walking often emphasizes macro-scale features of the physical environment, such as block length and number of intersections, that can be measured remotely using GIS and or aerial photographs. In contrast, urban designers emphasize the importance of micro-scale features in individuals' use and experience of neighbourhood environments. This paper moves beyond examining correlations of individual built environment features and walking, to begin to test proposals about which composite characteristics of the built environment (safety, comfort, etc.) may have the greatest impact on walking. Several urban design characteristics of 11 neighbourhoods throughout California were observed. Self-report, adult walking data on the number and types of walking trips were obtained from surveys administered to parents of 3rd-5th graders. Urban design features related to both accessibility and safety are associated with the amount of walking that adults do in their neighbourhoods. Grouping related urban design variables into indices provides some clarity as to how the built environment may impact walking. Safety emerges as the most important built environment characteristic (of those tested), related to both destination and recreational walking.
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U2 - 10.1080/13574800701803456
DO - 10.1080/13574800701803456
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:39049099578
SN - 1357-4809
VL - 13
SP - 29
EP - 51
JO - Journal of Urban Design
JF - Journal of Urban Design
IS - 1
ER -