Road layout and available destinations (inflation)

Ishikawa Prefecture –The built environment can facilitate walking, either automatically or by making it the preferred choice for citizens. However, most people do not receive these health benefits. Available evidence suggests that higher road connectivity and destination availability are more likely to support walking behavior, but lack of robust data and comparisons between previous studies It complicates the problem. This study investigates the association between street layout and walking behavior and considers whether objectively measured destinations mediate these relationships.

It's well known that being physically active is good for your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, many people living in urban areas do not engage in enough physical activity to reap these benefits. Factors that contribute to this lack of physical activity include biological, familial, political, and built environment variables. Research shows that the built environment can encourage more physical activity by providing urban dwellers with opportunities to automatically walk or prefer walking. Along these lines, there is evidence that neighborhood walking behavior is related to road connectivity and destination availability. The gap in our understanding is that there is little empirical evidence to quantify this relationship and most of the previously available insights cannot be compared.

Researchers from Japan and Canada recently focused on critical theories of spatial syntax to understand how destination availability drives associations between street layout and walking behavior. . Associate Professor Mohammad Javad Khousari of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), who is also a part-time researcher at Waseda University, led a team that partnered with Alberta's Tomorrow Project for this research. The study was co-authored by Professor Koichiro Oka of Waseda University, Professor Tomoki Nakatani of Tohoku University, and Associate Professor Gavin R. McCormack of the University of Calgary. The team's findings are urban health journal.

“We recognize that walking behavior is linked to street connectivity, and that destination availability influences the type of walking behavior, leisure and transport, in a given street layout. The purpose was to advance urban design and health science by testing hypotheses. Space Syntax is a science-based, human-centered method that incorporates theories that connect space and society. It becomes easier to objectively test how destinations on connected roads affect walking behavior.” Dr. Kuosari explains:

The team leveraged spatial syntax because this method is superior to traditional tools when quantifying road connectivity. Other approaches that rely on intersection density or block size cannot accurately quantify road connectivity. Space syntax also captures the capacity of a particular street layout to direct pedestrian traffic flow. The group includes available destination measurements in its analysis and uses surveys to determine the nature of walking (leisure or transportation) to understand how these destinations influence walking behavior. ) collected data. This data allowed us to understand how the purpose of walking is related to street integration and time spent walking.

“Our analysis reveals that road integration influences walking as a mode of transportation. Importantly, it was destination availability that strengthened this relationship. As far as leisure walking was concerned, there was no significant relationship between distance traveled and degree of street integration.” Dr. Kuosari says. These findings are interesting as they extend previous insights into road connectivity and walking based on objective measurements of destinations and different types of walking behavior. Furthermore, the large sample of 12,378 adults surveyed increases the reliability of the results.

But what can urban planners and city planners learn from this research? Dr Koosali says the findings can guide the design, or even redesign, of urban areas and improve the lives of citizens. I am sure. He concludes: “Implementing the results of such an analysis has two main benefits. Second, the strategic placement of destinations along an integrated street layout creates a more activity-friendly urban environment.”

Thank you to our researchers for providing timely and valuable insights for the betterment of our communities and our health.

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About Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) is Japan's first independent national graduate school, established in 1990 in Ishikawa Prefecture. After 30 years of steady progress, JAIST has now become one in Japan.'Top ranked university. With multiple satellite campuses, JAIST strives to develop talented leaders in a cutting-edge educational system where diversity is key. Approximately 40% of graduates are international students. The University employs a unique graduate education style based on a carefully designed, coursework-oriented curriculum to ensure that students have a solid foundation to pursue cutting-edge research. JAIST also works closely with local communities and overseas societies, such as by promoting industry-academia joint research.

About Associate Professor Mohammad Javad Khousari of Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Dr. Kosari is an associate professor in the Creative Society Design Research Department at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He also became a part-time researcher at Waseda University's School of Sports Science. Dr. Kousari's research focuses on how built and virtual environment science can contribute to health, particularly in the context of super-aging societies. Dr. Koohsari has a publication record of over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles, including Nature Reviews Cardiology. In 2020 and his 2021, he was named in the top 2% of most influential researchers worldwide in any scientific field (Stanford University and Elsevier). He is also included in the 2022 list of “Top Scientists” in the field of “Social Sciences and Humanities” (Research.com). Dr. Koosali serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals in the field, including Landscape and Urban Planning and Humanities and Social Sciences Communication.

Funding information

Mohammad Javad Koohsari received funding from JSPS KAKENHI (grant 23K09701). Koichiro Oka received the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grant 20H04113). Tomoki Nakatani received a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grant 20H00040). Gavin R. McCormack received support from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Research Foundation Scheme grant (FDN-154331).