For a century, America has prioritized cars over pedestrians. major cities tear up their neighborhood There are thick highways and some suburbs. There is no need to go out of your way to install sidewalks.. Even in deep blue San Francisco, a battle erupted this year over whether to permanently close the coastal freeway to cars.
It may seem obvious that creating pedestrian-friendly areas will encourage people to walk more, improve public health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from driving. yeah. However, this is surprisingly difficult to demonstrate with data, as other factors, such as socio-economic status, influence how much a person walks. Cities need such data to prioritize which areas to make more walkable, and public health officials need more research to confirm the benefits of interventions.
To that end, new study The American Journal of Epidemiology used 11,000 twins to find that if a neighborhood became 1 percent more walkable, for example by adding sidewalks to make it easier for people to walk from parks to restaurants and other stores, residents showed that the walking rate was 0.42%. A few more minutes a week. So if a city improves the walkability of its area by about 50 percent, the average resident could theoretically walk about 20 minutes more per week, the study says. “This is important because even small increases in physical activity at the population level can contribute to improved public health,” the researchers wrote. (You can find your neighborhood’s walkability score) here. This service is separate from research. )
Experts have long encouraged people to walk for their health. But by targeting walkability across the board, cities can build that encouragement into the landscape itself. “Changing individual behavior alone doesn’t work, and in my opinion, we’ve done it to death,” said Glenn, lead author of the paper and professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at Washington State University.・E. Duncan said. “We just tell people to eat fruits and vegetables and exercise more without really thinking about the larger structural issues that prevent people from eating better and being more active. yeah.”
A key element of the study was a twin database, which allowed researchers to examine pairs of similar people living in different regions. Researchers investigated objective measures of walkability in twinning neighborhoods (including many destinations easily accessible from sidewalks) to determine whether the built environment influences twinning activity. It is possible to judge. They found that twins who lived in more walkable neighborhoods reported walking more hours per week than their siblings. Duncan said policymakers can use this information to make cities more walkable. “That could be very good for public health.”
The research could also be useful for city governments considering climate change measures. Cities are prime candidates for “multiple solving” techniques, which solve multiple problems at once. New sidewalks and zoning laws that put more businesses within walking distance of residents do more than just make walking easier. “Every trip you take on foot instead of in a fossil fuel-powered car reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” said Elizabeth Sowin, director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Multi-Solutions Institute. said. He was not involved in the new study. “Walkability also helps connect people with their neighbors and local businesses, increasing their sense of connectedness and economic vitality.”
When more people choose to walk instead of driving, fewer cars on the road improve local air quality and put fewer pedestrians and cyclists at risk of being hit by cars. On average, every day in the United States 20 people killed by car. But you don’t have to ban cars to make it walkable. All city governments need to do is improve existing infrastructure to make it safer for people to walk and bike. This may be particularly welcome in underserved areas. “It’s going to make a huge difference in the world for a lot of people, especially marginalized people,” said Bunmi Akinusothu, director of urban innovation at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Aspen Institute. . He was not involved in this study. .
Cities can change more easily than you think. san francisco voters It ended up being closed The November election removed that coastal highway, making way for a two-mile park for pedestrians and bicyclists. And since coronavirus restrictions were lifted, cities across the U.S. Try slow roads Other ways to improve pedestrian safety and human health. “If we really want to change public health, we need to ask whether we can change things that affect large parts of the population,” Duncan said.
