External link: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916515612253

Publication date: January 13, 2016

Capsule summary: This report analyzed the relationship between the built environment (BE) and walking in rural small town areas compared to walking in a large metropolitan area.

Author(s): Stewart, Orion; Moudon, Anne; Saelens, Brian; Lee, Chanam; Kang, Bumjoon; Doescher, Mark

Publisher(s): Environment and Behavior

Definition: Examining the public health impacts of transportation
Digest Search Results Page: https://www.planningdigest.com/research-themes/public-health
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Definition: Planning practices for pedestrians, bikes and transit
Digest Search Results Page: https://www.planningdigest.com/research-theme/bikeped/
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Definitions: The movement of people
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Definitions: Transportation on foot
Digest Search Results Page: https://www.planningdigest.com/mode/personal/pedestrian/
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Definition: Article from an academic or professional journal
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Description: Built environment planning plays a large role in determining the frequency and type of walking in a community. Changes to the built environment have the potential to increase physical activity, which is associated with numerous health benefits, greater levels of social interactions, and reduced congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. This research informs decision-makers whether the association between the BE and walking varies among rural small towns and metropolitan cities.

Objectives: The research aims to test whether there is a significant difference between the built environment and walking in metropolitan versus rural areas. This research consists of two studies with similar walking and BE measures, using a single approach to eliminate variance in measure or analysis.

Findings: The researchers found that utilitarian walking is more strongly aligned in areas with higher density, regardless of size. However, the researchers found that in urban areas, there are more pedestrian-supportive design that induce utilitarian walking as opposed to auto-supportive designs that are common in small, rural areas. The rates of recreational walking were found to be greater in the small town, due to a perception of slower traffic.

Recommendations: This report encourages practitioners to consider a wide variety of environmental influences on walking and to acknowledge the difference between utilitarian and recreational walking. The report provides planners with the external factors and trends of walking frequency that they observed during their research.

Research Theme: Planning for Pedestrians, Bikes, and Transit, Public Health

Community Type: Rural

Transportation Mode: Pedestrian, Personal

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