Neighborhood Walkability: Older People’s Perspectives From Four Neighborhoods in Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

This qualitative study examined older people’s walking experiences in 4 Ottawa neighborhoods. Seventy-five adults age 65 years and older who had lived in their neighborhoods for at least 2 yr participated in focus groups and individual interviews. Four themes were identified through data analysis: multidimensional personal meanings, navigating hostile walking environments, experiencing ambiguity, and getting around. Neighborhood walking was experienced within the continuum of personal and environmental change. Findings indicated that the concept of pedestrian connectivity must incorporate aspects of both intersection regulation and design to ensure relevance for an aging population. Participants called for more clarity about policies that affect pedestrian safety for older people. The overarching theme of getting around indicated that walkability assessments must consider how walking fits within an integrated transportation system and how accessible this system is for older people.

Physical environmental factors that invite older adults to walk for transportation

“…Environments with well-maintained streets, gardens and houses received higher invitingness-scores than environments that were less maintained. This is in concordance with previous qualitative research (Gallagher, et al, 2010;Grant, et al, 2010;Lees, et al, 2007) and a study by Borst et al (2009), who reported a negative relationship between the presence of litter and use of a street for transportation walking. Upkeep might not only influence walking for transportation by making places more aesthetically appealing, but also by influencing feelings of safety (Foster & Giles-Corti, 2008).…”

“…by a curb, distance or physical barrier) were not associated with a higher invitingness. The importance of a clear separation between sidewalk and cycling path has been reported in qualitative studies (Grant, et al, 2010;. Possibly, this is more relevant for older adults with functional limitations as they might feel less capable of avoiding collisions with approaching cyclists and might be more fearful from falling.…”

“…A general human preference for vegetation and greenery is well documented (Hur, Nasar, & Chun, 2010;Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989;van den Berg, Koole, & van der Wulp, 2003). Furthermore, the importance of vegetation to promote older adults' walking for transportation has emerged in several qualitative studies (Gallagher, et al, 2010;Grant, Edwards, Sveistrup, Andrew, & Egan, 2010;Lees, et al, 2007; and the presence of vegetation has been linked to perceived attractiveness of streets to walk along (Borst, Miedema, de Vries, Graham, & van Dongen, 2008). However, the objectively measured presence of trees was unrelated and the presence of green strips was negatively related to the use of streets for walking for transportation in Dutch older adults (Borst, et al, 2009).…”

Neighbourhood environment and physical activity in older adults

“…Neighbourhood physical environmental features, characteristics and amenities such as safety and supportive features (e.g., wellmaintained pedestrian infrastructure, adequate benches, street lights), low traffic volume and flow, adequate public transportation (e.g., transit routes, physical design of bus stops), enjoyable scenery, can play a role in supporting the mobility of older residents in their neighbourhood (Cauwenberg et al, 2011;Glass and Balfour, 2003;Grant et al, 2010b;Michael et al, 2011;Rosenberg et al, 2013;. Accordingly, a supportive neighbourhood physical environment is likely to facilitate opportunities to be physically active and socially engaged (e.g., Chaudhury et al, 2012Chaudhury et al, , 2011Mahmood et al, 2012;Nagel et al, 2008;Phillips et al, 2005;Rosenberg et al, 2012;Yen and Anderson, 2012).…”

Walkability for Different Urban Granularities

“…Composite indices are then computed over areas at the granularity of neighbourhoods or census blocks (Leslie et al 2007;Weiss, Maantay and Fahs 2010;Freeman et al 2012;Giles-Corti et al, 2014;Buck and Tkaczick 2014). However, the actual relation between those variables and walkability is not uncontested (Grant et al 2010 and references therein). On a more functional level, walkability is quantified using data that is generally surveyed specifically to suit this purpose using audit forms, e.g.…”