Walkability and walking for transport: characterizing the built environment using space syntax

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Research

Mohammad Javad Koohsari¹  Takemi Sugiyama²  Neville Owen³  Ester Cerin⁴  Billie Giles-Corti⁵ 

[1] Behavioural Epidemiology Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan;Institute for Health & Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia;McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Behavioural Epidemiology Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Institute for Health & Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia;McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Behavioural Epidemiology Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia;Institute for Health & Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia;McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;

关键词: Space syntax;    Walkability;    Urban design;    Walking;    Street layout;    Built environment;    Urban form;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12966-016-0448-9

 received in 2016-05-03, accepted in 2016-11-12,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundNeighborhood walkability has been shown to be associated with walking behavior. However, the availability of geographical data necessary to construct it remains a limitation. Building on the concept of space syntax, we propose an alternative walkability index, space syntax walkability (SSW). This study examined associations of the full walkability index and SSW with walking for transport (WT).MethodsData were collected in 2003–2004 from 2544 adults living in 154 Census Collection Districts (CCD) in Adelaide, Australia. Participants reported past week WT frequency. Full walkability (consisting of net residential density, intersection density, land use mix, and net retail area ratio) and SSW (consisting of gross population density and a space syntax measure of street integration) were calculated for each CCD using geographic information systems and space syntax software. Generalized linear models with negative binomial variance and logarithmic link functions were employed to examine the associations of each walkability index with WT frequency, adjusting for socio-demographic variables.ResultsTwo walkability indices were closely correlated (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.01). The associations of full walkability and SSW with WT frequency were positive, with regression coefficients of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.17) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.19), respectively.ConclusionsSSW employs readily-available geographic data, yet is comparable to full walkability in its association with WT. The concept and methods of space syntax provide a novel approach to further understanding how urban design influences walking behaviors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016