International comparisons of the associations between objective measures of the built environment and transport-related walking and cycling: IPEN adult study

Abstract

Introduction Mounting evidence documents the importance of urban form for active travel, but international studies could strengthen the evidence. The aim of the study was to document the strength, shape, and generalizability of relations of objectively measured built environment variables with transport-related walking and cycling. Methods This cross-sectional study maximized variation of environments and demographics by including multiple countries and by selecting adult participants living in neighborhoods based on higher and lower classifications of objectively measured walkability and socioeconomic status. Analyses were conducted on 12,181 adults aged 18–66 years, drawn from 14 cities across 10 countries worldwide. Frequency of transport-related walking and cycling over the last seven days was assessed by questionnaire and four objectively measured built environment variables were calculated. Associations of built environment variables with transport-related walking and cycling variables were estimated using generalized additive mixed models, and were tested for curvilinearity and study site moderation. Results We found positive associations of walking for transport with all the environmental attributes, but also found that the relationships was only linear for land use mix, but not for residential density, intersection density, and the number of parks. Our findings suggest that there may be optimum values in these attributes, beyond which higher densities or number of parks could have minor or even negative impact. Cycling for transport was associated linearly with residential density, intersection density (only for any cycling), and land use mix, but not with the number of parks. Conclusion Across 14 diverse cities and countries, living in more densely populated areas, having a well-connected street network, more diverse land uses, and having more parks were positively associated with transport-related walking and/or cycling. Except for land-use-mix, all built environment variables had curvilinear relationships with walking, with a plateau in the relationship at higher levels of the scales.

Characteristics of the environmental microscale and walking and bicycling for transportation among adults in Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil

“…Saúde Pública 2018; 34(1):e00203116 Medium streetscape reduced by 41% and 46%, respectively, the likelihood of walking ≥ 150 min/ week and bicycling. These results differ from a study in the US cities of Seattle, San Diego, Baltimore, and Washington DC, where the overall streetscape score was positively associated with weekly frequency of active commuting (walking + bicycling) 34 . The inverse association shown in the current study may have several explanations.…”

“…Two studies tested the association between the environment's characteristics (by systematic observation) and walking and bicycling in adults 8,25 . However, these studies were done in cities in the United States, where the characteristics of the environment differ greatly in comparison to Brazilian cities 34 . For example, a multicenter study in 14 cities in 10 countries showed that the density of street intersections and mixed land use were greater in Curitiba, than in cities in New Zealand and the United States 34 .…”

“…For example, a multicenter study in 14 cities in 10 countries showed that the density of street intersections and mixed land use were greater in Curitiba, than in cities in New Zealand and the United States 34 . These variables, among others, are important predictors of walking and bicycling for transportation 5,9,34 .…”

The Relationship between the Neighborhood Built Environment and Active Transportation among Adults: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Six studies were conducted in Asia and two studies in South America. Two studies were cross-national studies, with one study [62] containing five European countries and the other one [69] containing ten countries from four continents. All the studies examined both male and female subjects.…”

The Spatial Variations of Relationship between Built Environment and Pedestrian Volume: Focused on the 2009 Seoul Pedestrian Flow Survey in Korea

“…Although her claims did not receive much attention at that time, her ideas have influenced urban design practices such as pedestrian-friendly design, mixed land use, and transit-oriented development, demonstrated by the New Urbanist movement (Calthorpe, 1993;Sternberg, 2000). In addition, research has extensively examined the associations between these components and walking activity during the last decade (Christiansen et al 2016, Duncan et al 2010and Frank et al 2006, Grasser et al, 2013Knuiman et al, 2014, Stewart et al, 2016, Sung et al, 2014.…”