Walking routes to school in new urban and suburban neighborhoods: An environmental walkability analysis of blocks and routes

We assessed environmental and perceptual correlates of walking and walkability for fifth graders from three communities attending two schools: A new urban/LEED-ND pilot community, mixed, and standard suburban community. Irvine-Minnesota Inventory (IMI) walkability audits showed that new urban blocks provided more traffic safety, pleasurability, crime safety, density, and diversity. New urban routes offered greater traffic safety, accessibility, pleasurability, crime safety, and diversity, but suburban routes had greater housing density, net of controls (parental education, rooms in the home, home ownership, parent preference for child to walk to school). Parents and children perceived new urban routes to be more walkable and children walked more when they lived on more walkable routes. The suburban hierarchical street design exposed children to varied traffic safety conditions by funneling their walks from cul-de-sacs to arterials. The new urban routes to a centrally located school passed by pleasant open spaces, suggesting how community organization can create better walking conditions.

Figure represents how street form differs between suburban (left) and new urban (right) community designs. Suburban walking routes are indirect and lead from low-traffic streets to high traffic ones in order for children to get to school, explaining why fewer suburban children walked to school. New urban street grids allow direct routes to school that pass by pleasant open space and avoid high-traffic streets.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► New urban blocks have more walkability features than standard suburban blocks.
► More fifth grade 11-year-olds walked to school when routes were in new urban areas.
► Suburban designs funnel children from low-traffic cul-de-sacs to high-traffic streets.
► New urban designs have routes exposing children to pleasant open spaces.
► New urban street forms and community design may enable more walking by children.