Walkability in Greater Vancouver Region

Further Informations

Introduction

Background

    Physically inactive lifestyles are a major public health challenge, as they have been identified as a key risk factor for overweight, obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases. Walking as an everyday physical activity  has become a main focus of policy initiatives in public health and urban planning. There is growing evidence that certain environmental characteristics enhance physical activity (Frank et al., 2006; Saelens et al., 2003; Saelens et al., 2004). It is hypothesized that individuals who live in higher “walkable” neighbourhoods will engage more in physical activity than those living in lower “walkable” areas (Frank et al. 2009). A survey of 10,898 people in Atlanta, Georgia (Frank et al. 2004) showed that each additional kilometre walked per day was associated with a 4.8% reduction in the odds of being obese. Furthermore, a higher number of vehicle miles in travelling is not only associated with lower rates of physical activity but also with an higher level of air pollution which has adverse impacts on respiratory health (Frank et al. 2004).
    Thus, the knowledge about the link between health and the build environment is a crucial starting point to combat the increasing rates of overweight and obesity found in many Western nations.

What is "Walkability"?

    The ‘walkability’ of a community may be conceptualised as the extent to which characteristics of the built environment and land use may or may not be conductive to residents' decision to walk either to access services, or to travel to work (Leslie et al. 2005).

How does Neighbourhood Design Influence Walkability?

    Analyzing walking as a means of transport, Saelens et al. (2003) argued that the choice to use non-motorised transport is based on two dimensions of land use: proximity (distance) and connectivity (directions of travel). Proximity is primarily determined by the density of land uses and the land use mix. Connectivity is the directness of paths between households, shops and work places. It is facilitated where there are no barriers, such as freeways or other physical obstacles, and where there is a high number of different travel routes available, for example in a regular grid pattern of interconnecting streets.

    The design of the community in the lower part of the figure supports non-motorized travel mode choices such as biking or walking, whereas the community design in the upper part of the figure encourages motorized travel modes.

     Lynch (1964) identified five basic components of urban form—paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks — each of which can be conceived in terms of a walkable urban network. Nodes represent street intersections and landmarks represent key origins or destinations, such as transit stops. Minor roads which connect the different landmarks can be considered as paths. Edges equate to freeways or other larger roads which impede connectivity between neighbourhoods; districts are interpreted as concentrated zones of walkable urban form (Schlossberg & Brown 2004).

    In Geographic Information Systems (GIS), each of the urban elements can be objectively quantified  and spatially assessed (Schlossberg and Brown 2004). They therefore facilitate the development of indices of walkability for cities or regions. Besides, GISystems allow a visual analysis of these elements which is especially important for the understanding of walkability in public participation during the planning process.    

    However, the influence of the physical environment on physical activity cannot be considered isolated. Many studies show that variance in socioeconomic status is inversely related to physical activity (Leslie et al. 2007). Some studies also suggest relationships between the built environment and inequalities in socioeconomic status. Cortright (2009) found that in some U.S. cities, a walkable neighbourhood corresponds with increases in home values. Homes located in more walkable neighbourhoods—those with a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance—command a price premium over apart from that similar homes in less walkable areas.

Purpose of the Project

The main components of this project are:

1. The objective measurement of walkability variables of the built environment using Geographic Information Systems and the development of a walkability index for each Census Track in the Vancouver Greater Region District.
2. The comparison of walkability surfaces based on previously developed walkability indices with a more comprehensive approach which additionally considers the access to public transport and topographic variance.
3. The assessment of the relation between socioeconomic status and the predicted walkability.