IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i19p10580-d641837.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Contribution of Mobile Apps to the Improvement of Walking/Cycling Behavior Considering the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammad Paydar

    (Escuela de Arquitectura Temuco, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad Mayor, Av. Alemania 281, Temuco 4780000, Chile)

  • Asal Kamani Fard

    (Academic Researcher, Universidad Católica del Maule, San Miguel, Talca 3605, Chile)

Abstract

More than one hundred and fifty cities around the world have expanded their emergency cycling and walking infrastructures to increase their resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the role of mobile apps is prominent in respect to developing a smart city during this pandemic, which raises the questions of how mobile apps contribute to the improvement of walking/cycling behavior and how such a relationship is influenced by the situation imposed by COVID-19. The role of mobile apps in the three relevant fields of physical activity, transport, and urban planning are reviewed. Next, the associations between walking/cycling behaviors and their contributing factors and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on these relationships are reviewed. Studies on physical activity have emphasized the role of motivational social factors in improving the function of mobile apps. In regard to transport, mobile apps have the potential to facilitate data collection in macroscale environments. In addition, mobile apps may facilitate people’s recognition of positive/negative environmental aspects, and this may in turn lead to greater pedestrian/cyclists’ awareness and better organization of their walking/cycling behavior. Moreover, based on a participatory approach, the classification of current mobile apps and certain suggestions on the development of future mobile apps are presented. Finally, complementary suggestions are provided for maintaining and improving the use of mobile apps to improve the level of walking/cycling.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard, 2021. "The Contribution of Mobile Apps to the Improvement of Walking/Cycling Behavior Considering the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-21, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:19:p:10580-:d:641837
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/19/10580/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/19/10580/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Victoria Houlden & Scott Weich & João Porto de Albuquerque & Stephen Jarvis & Karen Rees, 2018. "The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-35, September.
    2. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3158 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. 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.
    4. Yeran Sun & Amin Mobasheri & Xuke Hu & Weikai Wang, 2017. "Investigating Impacts of Environmental Factors on the Cycling Behavior of Bicycle-Sharing Users," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-12, June.
    5. Jinghui (Jove) Hou & Laura Arpan & Yijie Wu & Richard Feiock & Eren Ozguven & Reza Arghandeh, 2020. "The Road toward Smart Cities: A Study of Citizens’ Acceptance of Mobile Applications for City Services," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Twinam, Tate, 2017. "Danger zone: Land use and the geography of neighborhood crime," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 104-119.
    7. Van Cauwenberg, Jelle & De Donder, Liesbeth & Clarys, Peter & De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse & Buffel, Tine & De Witte, Nico & Dury, Sarah & Verté, Dominique & Deforche, Benedicte, 2014. "Relationships between the perceived neighborhood social environment and walking for transportation among older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 23-30.
    8. Robert Nickerson & Jan Muntermann & Upkar Varshney & Henri Isaac, 2009. "Taxonomy Development In Information Systems: Developing A Taxonomy Of Mobile Applications," Working Papers halshs-00375103, HAL.
    9. Broach, Joseph & Dill, Jennifer & Gliebe, John, 2012. "Where do cyclists ride? A route choice model developed with revealed preference GPS data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1730-1740.
    10. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard & Marzieh Khaghani, 2020. "Pedestrian Walkways for Health in Shiraz, Iran, the Contribution of Attitudes, and Perceived Environmental Attributes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-19, September.
    11. Powell, L.M. & Slater, S. & Chaloupka, F.J. & Harper, D., 2006. "Availability of physical activity-related facilities and neighborhood demographic and socioeconomic characteristics: A national study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(9), pages 1676-1680.
    12. Hoogendoorn, S. P. & Bovy, P. H. L., 2004. "Pedestrian route-choice and activity scheduling theory and models," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 169-190, February.
    13. Müller, Sven & Tscharaktschiew, Stefan & Haase, Knut, 2008. "Travel-to-school mode choice modelling and patterns of school choice in urban areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 342-357.
    14. Rudolf Giffinger & Johannes Suitner, 2015. "Polycentric Metropolitan Development: From Structural Assessment to Processual Dimensions," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 1169-1186, June.
    15. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard & Mohammad Mehdi Khaghani, 2020. "Walking toward Metro Stations: the Contribution of Distance, Attitudes, and Perceived Built Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-19, December.
    16. Theresa Kotulla & Jon Martin Denstadli & Are Oust & Elisabeth Beusker, 2019. "What Does It Take to Make the Compact City Liveable for Wider Groups? Identifying Key Neighbourhood and Dwelling Features," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, June.
    17. Cohen, D.A. & McKenzie, T.L. & Sehgal, A. & Williamson, S. & Golinelli, D. & Lurie, N., 2007. "Contribution of public parks to physical activity," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(3), pages 509-514.
    18. Yi Zhang & Yuan Li & Qixing Liu & Chaoyang Li, 2014. "The Built Environment and Walking Activity of the Elderly: An Empirical Analysis in the Zhongshan Metropolitan Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-17, February.
    19. Tu, Rungting & Hsieh, Peishan & Feng, Wenting, 2019. "Walking for fun or for “likes”? The impacts of different gamification orientations of fitness apps on consumers’ physical activities," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 682-693.
    20. Bentley, Rebecca & Jolley, Damien & Kavanagh, Anne Marie, 2010. "Local environments as determinants of walking in Melbourne, Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 1806-1815, June.
    21. Jie Gao & Dick Ettema & Marco Helbich & Carlijn B. M. Kamphuis, 2019. "Travel mode attitudes, urban context, and demographics: do they interact differently for bicycle commuting and cycling for other purposes?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 2441-2463, December.
    22. M. Reza Shirazi, 2020. "Compact Urban Form: Neighbouring and Social Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-18, March.
    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. Asal Kamani Fard & Mohammad Paydar & Verónica Gárate Navarrete, 2023. "Urban Park Design and Pedestrian Mobility—Case Study: Temuco, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-13, October.
    2. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard, 2022. "Walking Behavior of Older Adults in Temuco, Chile: The Contribution of the Built Environment and Socio-Demographic Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-23, November.
    3. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard & Verónica Gárate Navarrete, 2023. "Design Characteristics, Visual Qualities, and Walking Behavior in an Urban Park Setting," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, September.

    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. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard, 2021. "The Hierarchy of Walking Needs and the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard, 2022. "Walking Behavior of Older Adults in Temuco, Chile: The Contribution of the Built Environment and Socio-Demographic Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-23, November.
    3. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard & Verónica Gárate Navarrete, 2023. "Design Characteristics, Visual Qualities, and Walking Behavior in an Urban Park Setting," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, September.
    4. Asal Kamani Fard & Mohammad Paydar & Verónica Gárate Navarrete, 2023. "Urban Park Design and Pedestrian Mobility—Case Study: Temuco, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-13, October.
    5. Mohammad Paydar & Asal Kamani Fard & Marzieh Khaghani, 2020. "Pedestrian Walkways for Health in Shiraz, Iran, the Contribution of Attitudes, and Perceived Environmental Attributes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-19, September.
    6. 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.
    7. McArthur, David Philip & Hong, Jinhyun, 2019. "Visualising where commuting cyclists travel using crowdsourced data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 233-241.
    8. Müller, Sven & Mejia-Dorantes, Lucia & Kersten, Elisa, 2020. "Analysis of active school transportation in hilly urban environments: A case study of Dresden," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Yi Zhang & Xiaoguang Yang & Yuan Li & Qixing Liu & Chaoyang Li, 2014. "Household, Personal and Environmental Correlates of Rural Elderly’s Cycling Activity: Evidence from Zhongshan Metropolitan Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-16, June.
    10. Mark Livingston & David McArthur & Jinhyun Hong & Kirstie English, 2021. "Predicting cycling volumes using crowdsourced activity data," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(5), pages 1228-1244, June.
    11. Mehzabin Tuli, Farzana & Mitra, Suman & Crews, Mariah B., 2021. "Factors influencing the usage of shared E-scooters in Chicago," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 164-185.
    12. Sékou Samadoulougou & Laurence Letarte & Alexandre Lebel, 2022. "Association between Neighbourhood Deprivation Trajectories and Self-Perceived Health: Analysis of a Linked Survey and Health Administrative Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Zwerts, Enid & Allaert, Georges & Janssens, Davy & Wets, Geert & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "How children view their travel behaviour: a case study from Flanders (Belgium)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 702-710.
    14. Elias, Wafa & Katoshevski-Cavari, Rachel, 2014. "The role of socio-economic and environmental characteristics in school-commuting behavior: A comparative study of Jewish and Arab children in Israel," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 79-87.
    15. Ziwen Ling & Christopher R. Cherry & John H. MacArthur & Jonathan X. Weinert, 2017. "Differences of Cycling Experiences and Perceptions between E-Bike and Bicycle Users in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-18, September.
    16. Xianing Wang & Zhan Zhang & Ying Wang & Jun Yang & Linjun Lu, 2022. "A Study on Safety Evaluation of Pedestrian Flows Based on Partial Impact Dynamics by Real-Time Data in Subway Stations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-19, August.
    17. Stefan Flügel & Nina Hulleberg & Aslak Fyhri & Christian Weber & Gretar Ævarsson, 2019. "Empirical speed models for cycling in the Oslo road network," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1395-1419, August.
    18. Jiang, Wenhao & Stickley, Andrew & Ueda, Michiko, 2021. "Green space and suicide mortality in Japan: An ecological study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    19. Cai, Yangqian & Moreno, Ana Tsui, 2024. "Identifying non-universal heterogeneity of preferences of leisure cyclists for rural highway environments: A latent-class model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    20. Joohyun Lee & Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, 2020. "College Campuses and Student Walkability: Assessing the Impact of Smartphone Use on Student Perception and Evaluation of Urban Campus Routes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-18, November.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:19:p:10580-:d:641837. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.