Project Description

Walkability is a concept designed to evaluate the extent to which the built environment is pedestrian-friendly. The importance of walking is widely recognized in the scientific and political field regarding urban mobility, with active school travel as an important target to promote physical activity, with short and long term positive effects on children's health, free air pollution, economy and society. Yet it requires supportive environments that can safely and comfortably accommodate children’s walking and/or biking. In this regard, a number of researchers have put efforts to develop walkability indices for cities. In the Health field, papers that include the walkability index in schools have been emerging, however, few of them explicitly consider streetscape and school neighbourhood environmental factors related to children’s walking to school and with children-specific characteristics. On the other hand, in Portugal, planners and policymakers have implemented some policy measures to improve walking usage in children but still with no effective results, suggesting the lack of a coordinating mechanism that identifies the set of necessary policy measures to ensure that the targeted walkability indices are met.

That is what this research is focused on, aiming to fill the gap between research and practice by developing an innovator and scientific methodology as well as designing a School Walkability Improvement Tool (SWIT). This aims to provide specific technical know-how that allows planners and decision-makers to reach an efficient walkability index in Portuguese schools. Also, this methodology can be useful for other researchers in developing Walkability Tools, for example for Health Institutions or the elderly. The SWIT will be available both in the form of a manual and of an interactive website providing a toolkit for decision-makers, policymakers, planners, among other organizations, comprising an assessment framework of the (I) School Walkability Index and the (II) School Walkability Policy Measures.

Research Team

· Catarina Cadima

Financial Support

· Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2021.01013.CEECIND).

Stage of Progress

· In progress (started in 2022)

Publications

Cadima, C., von Schönfeld, K., & Ferreira, A. (2024). Beyond Car-Centred Adultism? Exploring Parental Influences on Children’s Mobility. Urban Planning, 9. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.8643

Cadima, C., & Pinho, P. (2024). Walkability and Parental Safety Perceptions as Determinants of Children’s School Commutes: A Systematic Review Urban Planning, Urban Planning, 9. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.8790