IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v73y2019icp1-11.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Walking behavior in the old downtown Beijing: The impact of perceptions and attitudes and social variations

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Shengxiao
  • Zhao, Pengjun
  • Zhang, He
  • Quan, Jing

Abstract

Walkable neighborhoods are promoted by urban planners and public health scholars as a way to encourage physical activity. This study explores the impact of perceptions and attitudes on walking in the historical neighborhood in downtown Beijing. It also examines how socioeconomic variations affect perceptions and attitudes. The study found that residents’ perceptions and attitudes toward their built and social environment vary according to income, age, and employment status, and that they have significant effects on walking frequency. Sense of community was negatively correlated with recreational walking and positively correlated with walking as a means of transportation. Favorable perceptions of the built environment and community participation both had a positive effect on recreational walking. Perceived health also influenced walking behavior. Younger, employed, and higher-income people were found to walk less than their counterparts. To promote a walkable and healthy community, city design factors and various strategies aimed at enhancing social cohesion among mixed socioeconomic groups should be taken into account.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Shengxiao & Zhao, Pengjun & Zhang, He & Quan, Jing, 2019. "Walking behavior in the old downtown Beijing: The impact of perceptions and attitudes and social variations," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-11.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:73:y:2019:i:c:p:1-11
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.10.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X18300179
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.10.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clark, Andrew F. & Scott, Darren M., 2013. "Does the social environment influence active travel? An investigation of walking in Hamilton, Canada," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 278-285.
    2. Wang, Donggen & Chai, Yanwei & Li, Fei, 2011. "Built environment diversities and activity–travel behaviour variations in Beijing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1173-1186.
    3. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    4. Cleland, Verity & Ball, Kylie & Hume, Clare & Timperio, Anna & King, Abby C. & Crawford, David, 2010. "Individual, social and environmental correlates of physical activity among women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2011-2018, June.
    5. Giles-Corti, Billie & Donovan, Robert J., 2002. "The relative influence of individual, social and physical environment determinants of physical activity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 54(12), pages 1793-1812, June.
    6. Cerin, Ester & Leslie, Eva, 2008. "How socio-economic status contributes to participation in leisure-time physical activity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(12), pages 2596-2609, June.
    7. Brownson, R.C. & Baker, E.A. & Housemann, R.A. & Brennan, L.K. & Bacak, S.J., 2001. "Environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(12), pages 1995-2003.
    8. McNeill, Lorna Haughton & Kreuter, Matthew W. & Subramanian, S.V., 2006. "Social Environment and Physical activity: A review of concepts and evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 1011-1022, August.
    9. Schwanen, Tim & Lucas, Karen & Akyelken, Nihan & Cisternas Solsona, Diego & Carrasco, Juan-Antonio & Neutens, Tijs, 2015. "Rethinking the links between social exclusion and transport disadvantage through the lens of social capital," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 123-135.
    10. Zhao, Pengjun, 2014. "Private motorised urban mobility in China’s large cities: the social causes of change and an agenda for future research," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 53-63.
    11. Cao, Xinyu, 2006. "The Causal Relationship between the Built Environment and Personal Travel Choice: Evidence from Northern California," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt07q5p340, University of California Transportation Center.
    12. van Lenthe, F. J. & Brug, J. & Mackenbach, J. P., 2005. "Neighbourhood inequalities in physical inactivity: the role of neighbourhood attractiveness, proximity to local facilities and safety in the Netherlands," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 763-775, February.
    13. Dulin-Keita, Akilah & Clay, Olivio & Whittaker, Shannon & Hannon, Lonnie & Adams, Ingrid K. & Rogers, Michelle & Gans, Kim, 2015. "The influence of HOPE VI neighborhood revitalization on neighborhood-based physical activity: A mixed-methods approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 90-99.
    14. Belon, Ana Paula & Nieuwendyk, Laura M. & Vallianatos, Helen & Nykiforuk, Candace I.J., 2014. "How community environment shapes physical activity: Perceptions revealed through the PhotoVoice method," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 10-21.
    15. Mason, Phil & Kearns, Ade & Livingston, Mark, 2013. "“Safe Going”: The influence of crime rates and perceived crime and safety on walking in deprived neighbourhoods," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 15-24.
    16. Cerin, Ester & Leslie, Eva & Owen, Neville, 2009. "Explaining socio-economic status differences in walking for transport: An ecological analysis of individual, social and environmental factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1013-1020, March.
    17. Khattak, Asad J. & Rodriguez, Daniel, 2005. "Travel behavior in neo-traditional neighborhood developments: A case study in USA," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 481-500, July.
    18. Ryley, Tim J. & Zanni, Alberto M., 2013. "An examination of the relationship between social interactions and travel uncertainty," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 249-257.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cheranchery, Munavar Fairooz & Krishnan, Meenu G & A A, Alfiya & Nanda V S, Parvathy & Krishna A, Akhila & Samuel, Albin, 2024. "A user perception based approach to derive policy intervention areas for enhancing walkability of cities: Experience in Kerala, India," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 70-80.
    2. Yuwen Zhao & Pauline E. W. van den Berg & Ioulia V. Ossokina & Theo A. Arentze, 2022. "Individual Momentary Experiences of Neighborhood Public Spaces: Results of a Virtual Environment Based Stated Preference Experiment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-22, April.
    3. Enayat Mirzaei & Dominique Mignot, 2021. "An Empirical Analysis of Mode Choice Decision for Utilitarian and Hedonic Trips: Evidence from Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-23, June.
    4. Phuc Hai Hoang & Shengchuan Zhao & Siv Eng Houn, 2019. "Motorcycle Drivers’ Parking Lot Choice Behaviors in Developing Countries: Analysis to Identify Influence Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Yin, Chun & Cao, Jason & Sun, Bindong & Liu, Jiahang, 2023. "Exploring built environment correlates of walking for different purposes: Evidence for substitution," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    6. Gan, Zuoxian & Yang, Min & Zeng, Qingcheng & Timmermans, Harry J.P., 2021. "Associations between built environment, perceived walkability/bikeability and metro transfer patterns," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 171-187.
    7. Qinglin Jia & Tao Zhang & Long Cheng & Gang Cheng & Minjie Jin, 2022. "The Impact of the Neighborhood Built Environment on the Walking Activity of Older Adults: A Multi-Scale Spatial Heterogeneity Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Eduardo Natividade-Jesus & Arminda Almeida & Nuno Sousa & João Coutinho-Rodrigues, 2019. "A Case Study Driven Integrated Methodology to Support Sustainable Urban Regeneration Planning and Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Nabipour, Mohammad & Rosenberg, Mark W. & Nasseri, Seyed Hadi, 2022. "The built environment, networks design, and safety features: An analysis of pedestrian commuting behavior in intermediate-sized cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 14-23.
    10. Cheng, Long & Shi, Kunbo & De Vos, Jonas & Cao, Mengqiu & Witlox, Frank, 2021. "Examining the spatially heterogeneous effects of the built environment on walking among older adults," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 21-30.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. José Antonio Serrano-Sanchez & Angela Lera-Navarro & Cecilia Dorado-García & Juan José González-Henriquez & Joaquin Sanchis-Moysi, 2012. "Contribution of Individual and Environmental Factors to Physical Activity Level among Spanish Adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-10, June.
    2. Md. Kamruzzaman & Simon Washington & Douglas Baker & Wendy Brown & Billie Giles-Corti & Gavin Turrell, 2016. "Built environment impacts on walking for transport in Brisbane, Australia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 53-77, January.
    3. Cerin, Ester & Leslie, Eva & Owen, Neville, 2009. "Explaining socio-economic status differences in walking for transport: An ecological analysis of individual, social and environmental factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1013-1020, March.
    4. Ao, Yibin & Yang, Dujuan & Chen, Chuan & Wang, Yan, 2019. "Exploring the effects of the rural built environment on household car ownership after controlling for preference and attitude: Evidence from Sichuan, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 24-36.
    5. Nicoleta Cutumisu & John C. Spence, 2012. "Sport Fields as Potential Catalysts for Physical Activity in the Neighbourhood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-21, January.
    6. Ann Forsyth & Mary Hearst & J. Michael Oakes & Kathryn H. Schmitz, 2008. "Design and Destinations: Factors Influencing Walking and Total Physical Activity," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(9), pages 1973-1996, August.
    7. Yiyu Wang & Bert Steenbergen & Erwin van der Krabben & Henk-Jan Kooij & Kevin Raaphorst & Remco Hoekman, 2023. "The Impact of the Built Environment and Social Environment on Physical Activity: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-36, June.
    8. Leonor Gallardo & Pablo Burillo & Marta García-Tascón & Juan Salinero, 2009. "The Ranking of the Regions With Regard to Their Sports Facilities to Improve Their Planning in Sport: The Case of Spain," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 297-317, November.
    9. Julia Bolívar & Antonio Daponte & Miguel Rodríguez & José Juan Sánchez, 2010. "The Influence of Individual, Social and Physical Environment Factors on Physical Activity in the Adult Population in Andalusia, Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, January.
    10. Md. Kamruzzaman & Simon Washington & Douglas Baker & Wendy Brown & Billie Giles-Corti & Gavin Turrell, 2016. "Built environment impacts on walking for transport in Brisbane, Australia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 53-77, January.
    11. Razieh Zandieh & Javier Martinez & Johannes Flacke & Martin van Maarseveen, 2017. "The Associations Between Area Deprivation and Objectively Measured Older Adults’ Outdoor Walking Levels," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(4), pages 21582440177, November.
    12. Cerin, Ester & Leslie, Eva, 2008. "How socio-economic status contributes to participation in leisure-time physical activity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(12), pages 2596-2609, June.
    13. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Baker, Douglas & Washington, Simon & Turrell, Gavin, 2013. "Residential dissonance and mode choice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 12-28.
    14. Van Holle, Veerle & Van Cauwenberg, Jelle & Deforche, Benedicte & Goubert, Liesbet & Maes, Lea & Nasar, Jack & Van de Weghe, Nico & Salmon, Jo & De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse, 2014. "Environmental invitingness for transport-related cycling in middle-aged adults: A proof of concept study using photographs," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 432-446.
    15. Kajosaari, Anna & Hasanzadeh, Kamyar & Kyttä, Marketta, 2019. "Residential dissonance and walking for transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 134-144.
    16. Lucas, Karen & Philips, Ian & Mulley, Corinne & Ma, Liang, 2018. "Is transport poverty socially or environmentally driven? Comparing the travel behaviours of two low-income populations living in central and peripheral locations in the same city," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 622-634.
    17. Stafford, Mai & Cummins, Steven & Ellaway, Anne & Sacker, Amanda & Wiggins, Richard D. & Macintyre, Sally, 2007. "Pathways to obesity: Identifying local, modifiable determinants of physical activity and diet," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1882-1897, November.
    18. Lin, Tao & Wang, Donggen & Guan, Xiaodong, 2017. "The built environment, travel attitude, and travel behavior: Residential self-selection or residential determination?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 111-122.
    19. Faizeh Hatami & Jean-Claude Thill, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Evaluation of the Built Environment’s Impact on Commuting Duration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    20. Xinyu Cao & Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 2012. "The connections among accessibility, self- selection and walking behaviour: a case study of Northern California residents," Chapters, in: Karst T. Geurs & Kevin J. Krizek & Aura Reggiani (ed.), Accessibility Analysis and Transport Planning, chapter 5, pages 73-95, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:73:y:2019:i:c:p:1-11. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.