Urban potential for physical activity: Construction of a small-scale index

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of physical inactivity is a major threat to individual as well as public health, as it presents to be one main modifiable risk factor for several non-communicable diseases. Thereby, the urban environment is a key determinant of physical activity levels of its inhabitants, either promoting or inhibiting being physically active. Today urban structures are mainly car-centric discouraging active living. In recent years, this situation has been identified as an opportunity to promote health and wellbeing of urban populations. Such a relational focus on physical activity requires the consideration of potentials and barriers of the environment. So far however, health promotion is given rather little attention in urban planning and tools to consider physical activity are scarce. Therefore, the research explores the possibilities and construction process of a small-scale index measuring urban potential for physical activity.

The index is applied to the level of residential areas and consists of four dimensions influencing various types of physical activity in urban environments. The transport network as well as the general land use pattern impact the likelihood of residents to walk or cycle as a form of transportation presenting a significant opportunity to introduce physical activity into daily life. Besides, the presence and quality of green and blue space offer the potential for physical recreation, sport and play, while the availability of sport facilities and playgrounds further determines participation in sport and play. The four dimensions are measured by a total of 22 distinct variables and are all calculated by adopting a five-kilometre active neighbourhood concept. This comprises four isochrones with de-creasing weights and introduces the factor of accessibility into the index, which ultimately shapes the utilisation of physical activity potentials. The index is tested on the inner-city of Dortmund and provides insights into the urban potential for physical activity of 742 residential areas.

The results indicate a high relevance of the location of residential areas in order to provide opportunities for physical activity. From a methodological point of view the research underlines several barriers and pitfalls for small-scale research including data availability and quality. Particularly important is the implementation of a neighbourhood concept which is theoretically linked to the phenomenon of interest, since it impacts the results. The research opens up the possibility of assessing different planning scenarios on their outcomes for physical activity potential.