Assessing the "walkability" of downtowns: An environmental needs assessment of safety, access, and pleasure

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Deedee D. Varick¹, Kara E. MacLeod, MPH, MA², Carmen N. Violich¹, and Adreanne Waller, MPH³. (1) University of Michigan, 293 Mulholland St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, 734-649-9651, deedry@umich.edu, (2) Traffic Safety Center, University of California, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, (3) Washtenaw County Public Health Department, 555 Towner St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Purpose: Walking offers physical, social, and economic benefits. The goal of this project was to (1) assess environmental features to recommend improvements to increase walking in downtown areas and (2) develop recommendations for future environmental assessments to assist in identifying and prioritizing changes to promote walking and hence physical activity in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Methods: The Irvine Minnesota Inventory for Observation of Physical Environment Features Linked to Physical Activity (Irvine-Minnesota Inventory) was selected after review and pilot test. The inventory was developed to measure four main aspects of the built environment that may influence active living. These are: accessibility (62 items), pleasurability (56 items), perceived safety from traffic (31 items), and perceived safety from crime (15 items). The items from this inventory have been tested and show high inter-rater reliability. The downtown areas for half a mile for each of the four cardinal points (North, South, East,West) were assessed using this tool. A reduced number of items were analyzed to focus on factors most amenable to change. Results: The number of pleasurable and safety from crime features accounted for the overall differences among the 5 cities assessed. Specific recommendations were made for each city. Conclusions: This project provided stakeholders with information to assist in better understanding the “walkability” of downtown areas and areas for improvement. An approach for conducting these types of environmental needs assessments was also provided.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

1. List four main aspects of the environment that promote physical activity.
2. Describe an approach to evaluate the environment for features that promote physical activity.
3. Develop a plan to conduct an environmental needs assessment in specific geographic areas.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Environment Section Student Poster Session

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA