To choose, or not to choose, a nearby activity option: Understanding the gendered role of proximity in urban settings

Although proximity by densification is a leading strategy to promote sustainable mobility, knowledge of the gendered and situated use of proximity is scarce. This study explores how women and men use nearby amenities in urban environments varying in amenity concentration. We use survey data from cities in western Sweden to analyse how amenity density, socioeconomic factors, and attitudinal factors affect women's and men's choices of activity location, and to explore the motives underlying these choices. Applying a time-geographic understanding of the role of proximity in everyday life, we consider two activities situated in different time–space contexts: grocery shopping and leisure activities. Results indicate that the roles of gender and density vary. The choice of regular grocery store appears gendered to only a limited extent: women and men choose a regular grocery store within a similar distance from home; distances are affected by similar factors; and actual choice is motivated by similar reasons. Density promotes proximate use among both women and men. High economic status, habitual car use, and being foreign born induce women and men to travel farther. For women, environmental concern is associated with reduced travel distances, while experiencing time pressure in everyday life is associated with greater distances. Distinct gender differences are found in chosen leisure activities: men engage in regular leisure activities farther from home than women do, and women's local choices are affected by amenity density while no such association is found among men. Men more seldom cite time-constraint and mode-access reasons for their choice of leisure activity location. Location choices are generally made primarily with regard to quality of service rather than, for example, the possibility of walking or biking. We conclude that proximity is important for both women and men, but that its role varies with activity and gender, reflecting the dynamic relationship between proximity, inherent qualities of the activity, and individual values and conditions. Swedish women, to a larger degree than men, experience limitations regarding access to the city. Policy and planning to promote proximity should consider the gendered contexts of everyday activities and the heterogeneity among women and men regarding needs and desires for and constraints on local living.