Although mobility is spatial by its very nature, spatial factors are rarely explicitly considered in the promotion of active commuting. However, active commuting bears great potential for increasing physical activity among employees and can thus contribute to health promotion. We argue that spatial models and analyses are building blocks for more efficient strategies in corporate mobility and health promotion measures. Specifically, we propose (a) a routing algorithm that optimizes commuting journeys in terms of health effectiveness; (b) assessment models, which express the suitability of workplace environments for active commuting; (c) spatial analyses that estimate the potentials of different modes for any given location, and (d) spatial analyses that support awarenessraising for active mobility. The elements are conceptualized on a generic level and then applied to a case study in Salzburg, Austria. In this case study, we demonstrate the integrative power of a geo-spatial approach which facilitates holistic perspectives on healthy commuting and has the potential to serve as an evidence base in targeted interventions.
Due to high costs of building land, larger available areas in the countryside, and other personal reasons people often decide to live in or move to suburban or peripheral areas [1]. The decision of people concerning their residential locations by only taking into account a cheap building land may at first seem reasonable. However, after some time the costs for living in suburbs or in the countryside rise up, and the use of car increases due to a restricted public transport. Travel times to working places and/or cultural and leisure facilities increase when people move farther away [2]. Children may need to be taken to the kindergartens or to school by car because of restricted public transport offers [3]. The rising gas prices cause significantly higher travel costs. These are just a few facts, why a broad range of aspects should be taken into account when making residential location decisions. The following article wants to tackle this topic of long-term cost awareness due to residential location decisions and present a settlement cost calculator developed for a rural area in the Austrian pilot region of Salzburg.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.