Planning for Active Living: How do living environments stimulate active behaviour?

Abstract

The built environment, a lower demand for physical work and the increase in technological innovations have all led to more sedentary behaviour in recent years, which has resulted in an increase in demand for healthcare services. The built environment in particular has a major influence on the degree of active mobility of individuals in both urban and rural areas.

To examine the walkability of a place, several studies have developed walkability indexes. One of these has also been carried out for the Netherlands and this research continues from there. The current walkability index is fairly accurate for urban areas. However, it lacks validity for rural areas, partly due to the large difference in geographical classifications between urban and rural areas. This research tries to solve this problem and create a more valid walkability index for rural areas.

In addition, this research will investigate what the Dutch walk culture exactly looks like and which conclusions can be drawn based on the updated walkability index in combination with sociodemographic data. The aim is to provide policy makers and urban planners with better tools to design areas for a more active lifestyle.