Walkability is Only Part of the Story: Walking for Transportation in Stuttgart, Germany

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Maren Reyer²  Stefan Fina¹  Stefan Siedentop³ 

[1] Institute of Regional Development Planning, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 7, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany; E-Mail:;Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Chair Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Stuttgart, Nobelstraße 15, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany; E-Mail:;ILS—Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Bruederweg 22-24, D-44135 Dortmund, Germany; E-Mail:

关键词: physical activity;    health;    walkability;    Walk Score;    environment;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph110605849

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In modern Western societies people often lead inactive and sedentary lifestyles, even though there is no doubt that physical activity and health are related. From an urban planning point of view it would be highly desirable to develop built environments in a way that supports people in leading more active and healthy lifestyles. Within this context there are several methods, predominantly used in the US, to measure the suitability of built environments for walking and cycling. Empirical studies show that people living in highly walkable areas are more physically active (for example, walk more or cycle more). The question is, however, whether these results are also valid for European cities given their different urban planning characteristics and infrastructure standards. To answer this question we used the Walkability-Index and the Walk Score to empirically investigate the associations between walkability and active transportation in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. In a sample of household survey data (n = 1.871) we found a noticeable relationship between walkability and active transportation—the more walkable an area was, the more active residents were. Although the statistical effect is small, the health impact might be of relevance. Being physically active is multi-determined and not only affected by the walkability of an area. We highlight these points with an excursion into research that the health and exercise sciences contribute to the topic. We propose to strengthen interdisciplinary research between the disciplines and to specifically collect data that captures the influence of the environment on physical activity in the future.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.