What limits the pedestrian? Exploring perceptions of walking in the built environment and in the context of every-day life

Walkability is often researched from the perspective of certain physical features in the built environment. However, for this paper, the point of departure was to also treat walking as a transport mode for reaching destinations and performing every-day activities. A conceptual model addressing both perceptions of the built environment and perceived limits due to every-day activities was used as a standpoint for examining walking behaviour among residents in three neighbourhoods in the city of Malmo, Sweden (N=1001). A principal component analysis for the variables addressing the aspects of the model revealed a resemblance with our theoretical interpretation. The obtained components' relationships with reported walking frequency were examined with binary logistic regression and revealed a significant association for the rating of one factor addressing the perceived limits on walking due to the constraints of every-day activities. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.