The Healthy and Sustainable City-Influences of the Built Environment on Active Travel

The city's built environment and functionality play a crucial role in shaping individual mobility patterns, impacting the overall health and quality of life of its population. Understanding these influences is an important research topic, making it a central focus of this paper. This study aims to identify the factors responsible for promoting healthy mobility behavior. To address this comprehensively, a multidisciplinary empirical survey was developed based on the Triad-a model consisting of the built environment, mobility(-behavior), and public health. In addition to the evaluation of socio-demographic factors and activity radius mapping, statistical analyses like multiple linear regression were used. These statistical analyses allow the assessment of the impact of various independent variables on the promotion of healthy mobility behavior within urban settings. The multiple regression shows that the satisfaction with the accessibility of public transport and the sense of safety as a cyclist contribute to explaining the variation of healthy mobility. Furthermore, the satisfaction with walking in the neighborhood and the inhalation of exhaust fumes while walking also seem to have an impact. The results show the link between the Triad and make it clear that mobility planning and urban planning must take a more integrated approach to promote health and simultaneously protect the climate.

Automated summary

This paper focuses on the influence of the city's built environment on individual mobility patterns and overall health, aiming to identify the factors promoting healthy mobility behavior. Through a multidisciplinary empirical survey and statistical analyses, it is found that factors such as accessibility of public transport, sense of safety as a cyclist, satisfaction with walking in the neighborhood, and exposure to exhaust fumes while walking have significant impacts on healthy mobility. The results indicate the need for a more integrated approach in mobility planning and urban planning to promote health and protect the climate simultaneously.