School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
J Urban Health. 2010 Dec;87(6):969-93. doi: 10.1007/s11524-010-9509-6.
A growing body of evidence links the built environment to physical activity levels, health outcomes, and transportation behaviors. However, little of this research has focused on cycling, a sustainable transportation option with great potential for growth in North America. This study examines associations between decisions to bicycle (versus drive) and the built environment, with explicit consideration of three different spatial zones that may be relevant in travel behavior: trip origins, trip destinations, and along the route between. We analyzed 3,280 utilitarian bicycle and car trips in Metro Vancouver, Canada made by 1,902 adults, including both current and potential cyclists. Objective measures were developed for built environment characteristics related to the physical environment, land use patterns, the road network, and bicycle-specific facilities. Multilevel logistic regression was used to model the likelihood that a trip was made by bicycle, adjusting for trip distance and personal demographics. Separate models were constructed for each spatial zone, and a global model examined the relative influence of the three zones. In total, 31% (1,023 out of 3,280) of trips were made by bicycle. Increased odds of bicycling were associated with less hilliness; higher intersection density; less highways and arterials; presence of bicycle signage, traffic calming, and cyclist-activated traffic lights; more neighborhood commercial, educational, and industrial land uses; greater land use mix; and higher population density. Different factors were important within each spatial zone. Overall, the characteristics of routes were more influential than origin or destination characteristics. These findings indicate that the built environment has a significant influence on healthy travel decisions, and spatial context is important. Future research should explicitly consider relevant spatial zones when investigating the relationship between physical activity and urban form.
越来越多的证据表明，建筑环境与身体活动水平、健康结果和交通行为有关。然而，这项研究很少关注自行车，作为一种可持续的交通选择，在北美有很大的增长潜力。本研究考察了自行车出行（相对于开车出行）与建筑环境之间的关联，并明确考虑了在出行行为中可能相关的三个不同的空间区域：出行起点、出行终点和路线之间。我们分析了加拿大温哥华大都市区的 3280 次实用自行车和汽车出行，涉及 1902 名成年人，包括当前和潜在的自行车骑行者。为与物理环境、土地利用模式、道路网络和自行车专用设施相关的建筑环境特征制定了客观指标。使用多层次逻辑回归模型来模拟自行车出行的可能性，同时调整出行距离和个人人口统计学因素。为每个空间区域分别构建模型，并对三个区域的相对影响进行了全局模型检验。在总共 3280 次出行中，有 31%（1023 次）是骑自行车出行的。骑自行车出行的可能性与以下因素呈正相关：坡度较低；交叉口密度较高；高速公路和干道较少；存在自行车标志、交通缓行和自行车激活的交通信号灯；更多的邻里商业、教育和工业用地；更高的土地利用混合度；以及更高的人口密度。在每个空间区域内，不同的因素都很重要。总体而言，路线特征比起点或终点特征更具影响力。这些发现表明，建筑环境对健康出行决策有重大影响，空间背景很重要。未来的研究在调查身体活动与城市形态之间的关系时，应明确考虑相关的空间区域。
