The motivations to walk or bike vary greatly by income levels, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Washington. The wealthy, as it turns out, are the outliers.
Jennifer Langston reports: "Lower- and middle-income King County residents who live in denser neighborhoods — with stores, libraries and other destinations within easy reach — are more likely to walk or bike, according to new University of Washington research."
The flip side of the report is that higher-income residents offered the same resources made the choice to use their cars anyway. "Of the environmental factors they studied, the only one that significantly influenced how frequently that group walked or biked was how attractive they found their neighborhoods to be," adds Langston.
Langston provides more detail about the study's methodology as well as more details about the findings. The study will be shared in detail at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, next week.
Hat tip to H. Pike Oliver for sharing the news of the study.
FULL STORY: What motivates people to walk and bike? It varies by income
Study: Uber and Lyft Clog Roads, Steal Transit Riders
The findings of a recent study reveals the effects of transportation network companies to be the enemy of all forms of alternative transportation—far from the urban savior some hope they'll be.
Study: Transit Not a Panacea for Walkability After All
One of the key assumptions of a new partnership between the planning and public health professions is that transit encourages more active mobility than possible with a car-centric lifestyle. But new research casts doubt on those assumptions.
Study: Positive Psychological Effects for Walking and Biking to Work
A research study finds evidence of the positive psychological effects of walking and biking to work, joining a quickly growing body of academic research supporting multi-modal lifestyle choices.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions