External link: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0091743514003181

Publication date: December 1, 2014

Capsule summary: This study examines the relationships between the built environment and walking for utilitarian purposes among adult residents of small rural towns in the United States.

Author(s): Doescher, Mark; Lee, Chanam; Berke, Ethan; Adachi-Mejia, Anna; Lee, Chun-Kuen et al.

Publisher(s): Preventive Medicine

Definition: Examining the public health impacts of transportation
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Definition: Planning practices for pedestrians, bikes and transit
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Definitions: The movement of people
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Definitions: Transportation on foot
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Definition: A federally funded transportation policy-making organization, comprised of local government representatives and transportation authorities
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Description: Though rural residents in the United States walk less than their urban counterparts, there has been little investigation into the role that the built environment plays in the prevalence of utilitarian walking in such areas. In this study, researchers sought to examine both self-reported and objectively measured features in the built environment in order to determine the extent of their correlations to the prevalence of utilitarian walking amongst residents of small towns across the United States.

Objectives: In this study, researchers sought to examine whether the presence of particular features of the built environment, including crosswalks, sidewalks, and destinations such as coffee shops, were correlated to walking for utilitarian purposes amongst adult residents of small rural towns. The study included phone interviews with 2152 adults from nine small towns–three each in Texas, Washington State, and the Northeast (New York and New Hampshire)–in which participants were asked for demographic information, socioeconomic and health statuses, perceived barriers and motivators to walking, frequency and duration of walking, and perceptions of their neighborhoods. The study also used GIS data from public and proprietary sources to objectively measure generalized land use, transportation infrastructure, residential and employment density, and natural environment.

Findings: Self-reported environmental factors that were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with higher odds of utilitarian walking included the self-reported presence of crosswalks and pedestrian signals and the availability of nearby recreation areas; the only significant objectively-measured environmental factors included the presence of manufacturing land use.

Recommendations: This study found that the environmental factors that are associated with utilitarian walking in cities and suburbs were also important in small rural areas. As such, modifying the built environment of such areas to include more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is likely to lead to increased rates of both utilitarian and recreational walking in broad areas of the United States.

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

Community Type: Rural

Transportation Mode: Pedestrian, Personal

Planning Scope: Regional or Metro Area

Organization Type: CoG, County, MPO or RPO

Planning Subject: Analysis, Evaluation and Assessment, Facility or Land Use, Land Use Planning