Determining thresholds for spatial urban design and transport features that support walking to create healthy and sustainable cities:findings from the IPEN Adult study

An essential characteristic of a healthy and sustainable city is a physically active population. Effective policies for healthy and sustainable cities require evidence-informed quantitative targets. We aimed to identify the minimum thresholds for urban design and transport features associated with two physical activity criteria: at least 80% probability of engaging in any walking for transport and WHO's target of at least 15% relative reduction in insufficient physical activity through walking. The International Physical Activity and the Environment Network Adult (known as IPEN) study (N=11 615; 14 cities across ten countries) provided data on local urban design and transport features linked to walking. Associations of these features with the probability of engaging in any walking for transport and sufficient physical activity (≥150 min/week) by walking were estimated, and thresholds associated with the physical activity criteria were determined. Curvilinear associations of population, street intersection, and public transport densities with walking were found. Neighbourhoods exceeding around 5700 people per km(2), 100 intersections per km(2), and 25 public transport stops per km(2) were associated with meeting one or both physical activity criteria. Shorter distances to the nearest park were associated with more physical activity. We use the results to suggest specific target values for each feature as benchmarks for progression towards creating healthy and sustainable cities

Shared Mobility Options for the Commute Trip: Opportunities for Employers and Employees

69A3551747110This multi-institutional research project consisted of two components that were conducted, respectively, by University of Washington (UW) team members and University of Idaho (UI) team members. The UW component explored the commuting experience of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the UW as a case study. The empirical work started with a quantitative analysis of data from the UW transportation needs assessment survey to depict and model the commute mode choices of essential workers before and during the pandemic. It found that most pre-pandemic public transit riders switched to other modes, especially driving alone, whereas almost all the essential workers who had driven alone, biked, or walked before the pandemic continued to do so. The shift to driving alone was most pronounced among essential workers with high incomes, whereas public transit remained a primary mode choice of lower-income groups. A qualitative analysis, which was based on a series of focus group discussions with UW employees, was then performed to gain deeper insights into essential workers\u2019 travel constraints and corresponding decision making. It revealed that most participants switched away from transit at the beginning of the pandemic because of safety concerns related to virus infection and issues with transit frequency, schedules, and reliability. It showed that incentives such as a fully subsidized transit pass and free carpool parking would encourage a reversed mode shift from driving alone to transit or carpooling post-pandemic. Together, results of the UW study suggest the need for timely adjustments in TDM policies in response to the evolution of the pandemic, as well as to expand the mobility options for employees, especially essential workers. The UI component, which used the University of Idaho as a case study, investigated the travel behaviors of university students from rural and suburban communities and how their experience with non-automobile modes of transportation affected their mode choice. This research component was implemented through surveys, which were aimed at identifying any relationship between previous multi-modal experience and current travel behavior, and an experiment that took participants on a 90-minute tour of the community by bus, bike, and on foot and then evaluated the impact of the tour on the participants\u2019 travel behaviors. The results showed that students from rural communities who had frequently driven to high school and had had little experience with public and private transit were more likely to be driving currently and that participation in the experiment increased the students\u2019 bus and bike use and walking

Washington State School Walk Score

We used unique data from the 2016 Washington State Student Travel Survey combined with built environment data to first confirm the factors shown to influence children walking to and from school in previous literature. Walkability scores were then estimated for K-8 Washington state schools under different data availability scenarios. First, models were developed using the 66 schools in King County with both student travel data and extensive built environment data that could serve as “best case” scenarios for calculating walkability indices. The models were run for three additional scenarios that reflected the limited data available in the state outside of King County. Second, models with limited data were run for the 159 remaining schools in Washington state that had student travel data. A Walkability Score applied to all K-8 schools was based on two built environment characteristics: street connectivity (route directness) and vehicular traffic exposure (ratio of major/minor streets); as well as school total enrollment as a control variable. A Walking Potential Score estimating the percentage of children likely to walk at each school was calculated by adding the percentage of children in the school lunch program and the number of children riding the school bus to the variables used in the Walkability Score. The average Walking Potential Score was 21.5 percent (SD 16.1 percent) of the students in a school walking to or from school. To our knowledge, no other state has scored their schools for walkability. The scores can guide the future allocation of funds to support and promote walking to school in two ways: they can help rank schools according to the need for increasing their rate of walking; and they can identify those components/indicators of the school neighborhood environment that could be changed to most effectively increase the likelihood of children walking to school. An appendix provides a tally of Walkability and Walking Potential Scores for K-8 schools in Washington state by county and by school district.Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium US Department of Transportation Washington State Transportation Center/Urban Form Lab University of Washingto