We explored the influence of third places on walking habits across life stages. Our study demonstrates the unique goal structures for students, workers, and retirees, identifying key patterns shaping walking behavior in cities. Integrating these findings into urban planning can revolutionize cityscapes and promote healthier, more active communities.
High-density urban environments significantly affect children’s play and well-being. This study provides current insights and explores potential solutions for enhancing play spaces in compact cities, aiming to promote a healthier and more sustainable urban future for children. Our goal was to synthesize current knowledge and provide guidance for improving play spaces in compact cities, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and liveable urban environments for children.
We investigated how Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs intersect with gentrification in Greenville’s West End by using children’s active mobility as a lens to assess community perceptions. Through observations, behavior mapping, and interviews, we explored how mobility infrastructure impacts cultural traditions and socioeconomic dynamics. This approach allowed me to uncover tensions between design intentions and community realities, providing critical insights to guide equitable, context-sensitive urban planning in rapidly changing neighborhoods.
Among the factors impacting functioning and quality of life in autism, aspects of the built environment have recently gained increasing attention. However, the opportunity of proposing a universal framework for cross-scalar examination of these factors remains largely unrealized.
By narrowing the focus to public transport, a key component of urban spatial structure and urban mobility, this study explores the applicability of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) in examining the built environmental factors that influence autism.
How can we design walkable streets that promote health through nature?
This scoping review synthesises international and cross-cultural research—drawing from English and Chinese studies—to clarify intervention types and health mechanisms, offering an essential evidence base for healthier, more connected urban environments. Our findings reframe streets as inclusive, restorative spaces for health—not just transport infrastructure.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are being introduced in UK cities to reduce motorised through-traffic in residential areas, create better conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling, and change the hierarchy of uses in public spaces. Existing evidence shows that schemes work and generate important public health benefits. However, the experiences of disabled people with these schemes have yet to be explored. This is important because public space and the built environment are important facilitators and barriers in the lives of disabled people.
Our study shows that young autistic adults and older adults face similar patterns with walking, particularly at night or for leisure activities. These findings highlight a very poor health prospects for autistic adults as they age due to lack of physical and social activity. These findings underscore the need to rethink urban spaces for diverse needs. By identifying these patterns, we provide a foundation for creating urban environments that are more inclusive, accessible, and supportive of sustained physical activity and better health outcomes for autistic individuals as they age.
any parks and public spaces are not designed with seniors in mind, lacking features that encourage physical activity and social interaction. This can lead to isolation, decreased mobility, and poor health outcomes. Unlock the potential of urban parks to promote healthy ageing. Our research identifies the essential design elements that encourage seniors to stay active, providing a roadmap for cities to create an inclusive and supportive environment.
Our research provides new evidence for the importance of third places in supporting retirees’ well-being and social engagement. We found that these spaces can play a significant role in fostering a sense of belonging, improving mental and physical health, and facilitating social interactions.
We explored the factors that can encourage walking and cycling to school from the adolescents’ perspective, considering individual and built environment factors as well. Travel mode selection, companionship, desired mobility autonomy, and perceptions of pedestrian and cyclist safety regarding traffic were relevant and interconnected.